It's never too late
by theoctopus
Summary: Superman left his pregnant wife Lois alone. Lex Luthor and Amanda Waller took this opportunity to kidnap Lois and her baby. What happens when the child of Superman is captured by Luthor and Waller since birth? Will she survive to reunite with her father?
1. Lost

Lost

*beep* "Hey, this is Clark Kent. I am probably working with Lois at the moment. So please call later or leave a message." *beep* Bruce could no longer recall the number of times he tried to reach the alien. He threw the mobile on the ground, cursing the Kryptonian. The legendary Superman was nowhere to be found.

3 days ago

Justice League HQ

"Alright, alright, Lois! I am coming back home immediately after some League business, OK?"

"You'd better be home by 10. I have kryptonite and I am not afraid to use it!"

"Lois, I would never ever fail to keep the promise."

"Hmmph! You're just saying that to try not to upset the baby in me!"

"Lois, you know that's not true!"

Bruce had enough of this childish quarrel and growled impatiently at Superman, who was still holding tightly to his phone. Superman caught the death glare beneath his partner's cowl and instantly said, "Sorry, Lois. Gotta go.". Trying to lighten up the mood, Superman cheerfully said, "When Isabel is born, she's going to have Batman as her uncle." Bruce has seen the ultrasound pictures of the foetus inside Lois and was unable to resist the growing smile on his face. Bruce was so immersed in his own thoughts that he heard nothing of the non-stop rambling of Clark about Lois's temper. "… I swear, Lois is probably going to use kryptonite against me during these days…"

Lois Lane's apartment

Lois sat on the couch, glancing at the clock every two seconds. _Where is Clark? Ugh! The legendary Superman! If he's so super, why can't he just spend some time with me?_ She placed her hand gently on her bulging stomach and said, "When you're born, you're gonna spend all of your time with mommy not like daddy, right?" The baby in her gave her a slight nudge as response.

*doorbell rings* "Lois, I'm back!" Clark, not Superman, open his arms wide to embrace his pregnant wife. Lois pushed him roughly backwards.

She said, scowling at him, "You're late."

Clark put on his best 'puppy dog face' and explained, "You see, Bruce thinks that Lex Luthor is planning something big so…"

"So you neglected your wife and child. Great choice!"

Clark sighed. Ever since Lois knew he was Superman, she expected so much more from him. She hated the fact that Clark was no ordinary husband and wasn't able to accompany her to child care classes and some medical check-ups.

"Sleep on the couch tonight! I am not going to sleep with you!" Lois stood up abruptly and started towards their bedroom.

Clark winced as Lois slammed the door closed. He didn't dare tell Lois that he wasn't able to stay for the night as he and Batman needed to find out what Luthor was plotting. He slipped out of the apartment, leaving a note for Lois.

Batcave

"You're late." Batman said monotonously. Superman couldn't help but see the similarities between the two situations. "So what's Luthor planning?" "I'm still working on it. However, we need to be alert as Luthor never disappoints."

Suddenly there was a flash on one of Batman's computers. "Gangs of villains are attacking different countries including China, Africa, Britain, Russia…" Batman contacted League members and headed out with Superman.

After the fight

"Hooray, we got them, Bats" Flash said, bounding up and down like an excited child during Christmas. "Oy, Bats! Are you listening to me?" _Why did Luthor order such a huge attack on so many countries? There must be a catch. But what? _Batman was not convinced by the amateur tactics shown by Luthor during this round of attacks. The attacks were unorganized and he knew that Luthor was no fool. So he flew his jet to Metropolis.

Luthorcorp

Superman sighed. He was sure that Lois was not going to call him anytime for sneaking out of the house again. Yet he knew that he needed to reassure his paranoid friend that the Luthor case was over for now. Batman was so certain that Luthor had other tricks up his sleeves. They crept up to Lex Luthor's office and found Luthor sitting peacefully in his chair.

"How may I help you gentlemen?" Luthor said with a smirk on his face.

Batman grabbed the front of Luthor's shirt and whispered menacingly, "Luthor, what have you done?"

Luthor merely chuckled, "Do you have any evidence I have done anything?"

Superman said, "Batman, I doubt Luthor has committed any more crimes." Clark was getting worried about leaving Lois alone for so long.

"Oh yes, listen to Superman. I didn't do anything bad." Batman wasn't buying it and kept interrogating Luthor who didn't seem bothered at all. The longer the interrogation went, the more satisfied Luthor looked.

After 3 hours of fruitless interrogation, Superman literally dragged Batman out of the tower and flew away back to his apartment, leaving an extremely angry Batman.

Lois Lane's apartment

*doorbell ring* "Lois, open the door." _Lois must be sleeping_ Clark used his super-strength to open the door, cracking the lock. He saw the crumpled note which he wrote to Lois in the bin. "Lois, I'm home. Sorry for leaving you alone like this." Yet there was no answer. It was then when Clark realized that Lois was gone.

Clark searched the world for them literally, using his x-ray vision and super-hearing. There was no sign of Lois. He didn't attend any Justice League meetings or answer any calls since then. He didn't care about anything but Lois and her unborn baby. He was lost without them.


	2. The Plan

The Plan

Batcave

It wasn't long before Bruce realized what drove his friend to abandon all Justice League matters. He knew that Clark was searching relentlessly for his family, but Bruce knew that the only way to find his family was to find the mastermind behind this, Lex Luthor. To no one's surprise, Luthor was nowhere to be found. So Bruce turned to his other objective – rescue Clark.

Unknown place

Lois found herself in a bed in a completely white room with strong lighting when she woke up. She was relieved to know that her baby was still healthily kicking in her womb. She walked slowly to the door, which needed authorized fingerprints to open. Suddenly, the speaker in the top corner of the room spoke loudly, "How are you, Miss Lane, or should I say Superman's wife?" Lois gasped. "Who are you? Show yourself!" The door opened and in came Lex Luthor.

The Fortress

Batman guessed that Superman would be in the Fortress, seeking for guidance in times of trouble and he was right. Clark was kneeling on the ice floor, staring at the ceiling with unfocused bloodshot eyes. His hair has lost its handsome shine and a small beard grew on his chin. Batman moved cautiously towards the emotionally unstable man and wondered what he should do. He had no idea what he should do to make his partner feel better.

Then, he remembered what Alfred used to do when he was grieving his parents' death. For the first time since their friendship, Bruce took the iniative of hugging Superman.

"You are Clark Kent. I have known you for quite a while. You are a man who never gives up hope and fights for justice. This quality is what Lois was attracted to. Lois and Isabel may still be alive in the world. Be the Clark Kent that I know and Lois loves and stay strong for the world and most importantly, your family." Clark stared at his wedding ring and prayed to the gods for his family's safety. He stood up slowly and said, "Thank you, Bruce."

Unknown lair

"Superman is going to come and save us in no time and you, Lex are going to be in jail again." Lex leered at Lois and said, "Not this time. This lair is specially designed for the kryptonian. It is lined with lead and is constantly moving underground." "We'll see about that. Just curious, what do you want with me?" Lex laughed loudly and said, "You don't really think that this is about you, do you?" Lois frowned. "I spent decades to form a plan to capture the offspring of Superman and turn it into the best weapon ever seen." Lois instantly placed her hand protectively over her belly. "Superman's going to stop you." She said determinedly. "Prepare to be disappointed." Luthor stepped out of the room and ordered the officials, "Keep her healthy and check on her daily. Report to me and Waller daily."

After a few minutes, people wearing labcoats flooded into the room, taking health check-ups for Lois. Lois didn't dare move as she was afraid that they might hurt the baby. One of the officials reported back to Luthor, telling him that Lois was going to give birth in about two weeks.

1 week later

Lois still heard no sign of Superman. Was Luthor right? Was Isabel doomed to be Luthor's puppet? Lois pushed these negative thoughts out of her mind, praying that Clark was getting closer.

5 more days later

Lois screamed and all of the officials immediately held her on the bed, spreading her legs wide for the baby to come through. Lois cried and cried, cursing Clark for not supporting her through this unbearable pain. Soon, the baby was born. Lois fainted from all the pain. The officials quickly wrapped the baby with a towel and presented her to Luthor. The child cried loudly for a while when out of the mother's womb but slept peacefully in Luthor's arms. Luthor was sure victory was at hand with this weapon.

"Where is my child? How dare you take Isabel from me? Luthor!!!" Lois screamed sonorously, voice echoing in the room. Her throat was getting sore but she couldn't care less. Her Isabel was taken from her for 4 days. She wasn't going to let Isabel be deprived of a mother. Luthor's voice from the speaker said, "What is it, woman? Leaving you alive is already showing you mercy. I could have killed you when I had the child. You are of no further value to me." Then something clicked in Luthor's mind. This woman can be of use to him. Luthor required absolute obedience from the child but he didn't want the child to be mentally undeveloped. Letting the child develop an attachment with the mother is an advantage to him. "Miss. Lane, I have a deal for you…"

5 years later

"Mommy, I'm back!" Isabel rushed to her mother in the white room. Lois hugged her daughter tightly. Isabel has grown much taller, reaching her mother's waist. She also had her father's bright blue eyes and her mother's straight black hair. She also demonstrated super-strength which Luthor was extremely pleased about. Lois stroked her daughter's long black hair, listening to what her daughter had 'learnt'.

It pained Lois to see her daughter learning fighting tactics, the weak areas of a human body etc. It was Luthor's deal that Isabel was able to spend time with her mother only after completing assigned tasks. Luthor also forbade Lois from revealing the identity of Isabel's father. Although they didn't have much time, Lois tried to show her the world by mere verbal description. Isabel's eyes widened every time Lois told her about her old job, superstars, movies, music and everything a normal young girl should know. Lois felt her Isabel slowly drifting to sleep. So she picked her up and rested her on the bed.

Lois knew that Luthor was corrupting her little girl but she couldn't do anything about it. The green meteorite wristband which inhibited Isabel's powers made sure of it. Lois knew she could never understand the pain behind her daughter's smile. She was so mature for her age, trying to hide the cuts and bruises from her. Lois whispered in her ear every night, "Someone's going to save us. When you are free, you can be anyone you want to be. You can even be a singer, actress, reporter, doctor, lawyer. I will always be there to support you." A small smile appeared on the dozing child's face.

The next day, Isabel was taken away from her mother's arms again. One of the officials pushed her roughly forwards, directing her to Luthor's room. Isabel hated the people wearing labcoats. They always wanted to take samples of her blood when Luthor wasn't there. As she reached the room, she noticed another person in the room. The person was a black woman dressed in a black suit.

"Come, Isabel." Luthor ordered. She obeyed, staring curiously at the stranger. Amanda Waller scanned Isabel from head to toe and said, "She looks promising. With the correct training, she is ready." Luthor said proudly, "She has demonstrated super-strength at the age of 4 so she is pretty capable." Waller glanced at Isabel's wristband and asked, "Can she follow orders?" Luthor reported, "She was able to complete assigned tasks in the obstacle rooms and training arenas." Waller questioned, "How about real life combat or even assassination?" Isabel couldn't take this any longer and retorted, "I will not hurt or kill people. I am not your puppet." Luthor's eyes narrowed to slits and he pulled out a small remote and pressed the button. Instantly, pain shot from Isabel's body. The wristband was emitting green kryptonite radiation. Isabel fell to the ground, trying desperately to remove the wristband. However, this further enraged Luthor and he turned up the radiation, causing Isabel to scream in agony. After 5 minutes of tears and screeches, Luthor pressed the button once more and stepped towards the shaking child. He crouched down and threatened, "You are my weapon. You will obey me or else your mother shall face the consequences." Waller stated emotionlessly, "Still a bit rough around the edges but such stubbornness can prove useful in real combat. So the final perfection should start next year." With that, Waller left the room. Luthor commanded, "Stand up and today you'll have new lessons." Still weak from the radiation, Isabel staggered to her feet and limped to another room.

She didn't like her new lessons. They were more focused on killing someone in particular. The Justice League. The officials made her study the League members' fighting stances, weaknesses and strengths. Isabel paid her utmost attention, trying to remember everything as she knew Luthor would want to test her memory later. She looked at the pictures of the League and began to hate them. _Why can't the heroes save us?_

After hours of study, Luthor came to collect her and took her to the training room. Isabel stood at the door and was instantly pushed by Luthor. Her heart raced. She knew exactly what this room was for. She glanced hopefully at the door which was locked by Luthor. She saw Luthor and other officials in the observation room through the glass setting the 'fighting stage' for her. "I will now disable your wristband and let you use your powers. Don't you dare think of anything funny or else your mother won't be with you anymore." The stage darkened and a mechanic voice said, "Fighting simulation level 1 – Batman".

Isabel gulped. She had never hit a human figure before. Luthor used to make her test her strength by throwing random objects but not combat with humans. She stood there, shifting her gaze from side to side. The stage has turned into a dark alley with battered bricks lying everywhere. Isabel, who had only developed super-strength, couldn't see much in the darkly litted alley. _Where is this Batman? This place is so creepy… _Isabel shivered. WHAM! Isabel was slammed into the concrete bricks. The bricks cut into her skin, leaving her bleeding. She turned around and saw the man in the pictures Luthor had shown her. Isabel cowered at the sight of the well-built muscles on the man which were not clearly shown on the pictures. Batman advanced towards her, ready for another blow. Isabel stood up and ran for her life, ignoring the deep cuts on her legs. She turned around to look for her opponent and couldn't see him there.

She then remembered that during the study session, she was told about the Batman's fighting tactics. "Batman, an original founder of the Justice League, is a human with no powers. However, he is the elite in martial arts and disguise. He can analyze one's strengths and weaknesses within minutes…" _Batman hides and attacks me to avoid close combat with me. In terms of strategy, Batman holds the upper hand. However, in terms of strength… _Isabel realized that she needed to fight with Batman on a plain ground instead of a dark alley surrounded by buildings. _Do I have enough strength to knock down these buildings? _Isabel took a deep breath and charged at the brick wall. The bottom of the brick wall had a large gaping hole and the building tumbled down._ One down, one more to go._ She crushed the second building and this time, apart from bricks, Batman went down too. Batman used his grippling hook to reduce the impact of the fall. He was now in plain sight of Isabel. Using super-strength, she pinned Batman down, gripping his hands tight.

Isabel hollered, "I have disabled him. Please let me out." The mechanic voice replied, "Target not annihilated." _Annihilate? I need to kill him? _Isabel bit her lower lip and stared at the struggling Batman beneath her. The simulation made him look so real and human. He also felt warm against Isabel's skin. Isabel could swear that she could feel his pulse. _I have to do it! Do it for Mom! _Isabel moved her trembling hands towards Batman's neck.


	3. Innocence

Innocence

Isabel hung her head as she was let out of the training room. She wiped her dirty hands frantically on her black uniform. Luthor gave her a pat on the back as a reward but she shivered at the touch. Luthor praised her, "You have done well. What would you like as a prize?" Isabel, whose eyes never left the grounds, murmured, "I want to see mom." Luthor grunted in disgust and suggested, "You can have any kind of food or luxury. Are you sure?" Isabel nodded slowly.

Lois saw the door opening and put on her best smile to welcome her daughter home. She was surprised to see the absence of her daughter's cheerful skip. She immediately glowered at the man responsible, Luthor. "What did you do to her?" Luthor replied innocently, "Not much really. She performed exceptionally well today." Then he left the mother and daughter.

Isabel hadn't moved an inch towards her worried mother. She was starting to regret seeing her mother again. Would her mother despise her for doing such a heinous act? Would her mother leave her too like her dad? Lois said softly, "Isabel? What's wrong?"

Lois walked towards her, kneeling and caressing her hands on her cheek. However, Isabel would not look into the eyes of her mother. Lois caught sight of the emptiness in Isabel's eyes and took her stiff daughter into her arms. It wasn't long before Isabel bursted into tears. Isabel wailed into her mother's chest, hoping her tears would cleanse her of her shame.

Lois calmed her down and said once more, "Isabel, could you tell me what happened?" Isabel choked slightly on her tears and mumbled, "I…I ki…killed." Lois's eyes widened. "Killed? Who?" However, Isabel was too absorbed in her tears to explain logically. "Training. Batman. Simulation." Lois couldn't help but swear at Luthor in the presence of her daughter. _How dare Luthor take away my daughter's innocence by training her to kill?_ Deep down in Lois's mind, she knew that Luthor had bigger plans in mind and that this training was inevitable. Yet Isabel was only a 5-year-old. _Superman, Clark, Are you there?_

Isabel heard her mother swear and scolded herself for stressing her mother. She felt her mother stroking her long black hair and shifted her head against her mother's chest. Lois was pleased to see Isabel calm and collected once more. She felt that her daughter was dying to ask her something but was refraining herself.

"What is it?" Lois asked gently. Isabel looked up into her mother's eyes and quickly away.

"Why did dad leave us here? Why isn't he here?" Lois wanted so badly to just tell her sweet daughter that Superman was her father and that he was still relentlessly searching for them. However, she knew that Luthor was listening carefully to their conversation.

"Dad didn't leave us. He is still looking for us."

"What is dad like?"

"Well, kind, gentle, caring, uhh…" Lois blushed profusely as she had never praised Clark openly before.

"He sounds really nice. I hope I can see him some day."

Lois reassured her, "You will. When you leave, you are going to be a success. You can be a singer, actress, reporter, you name it. I will always be there for you." Isabel smiled once again. Her eyelids drooped and she fell asleep. Lois had repeated this promise of freedom for many times. However, sometimes even Lois doubted the possibility of that happening. After 5 years, Clark hadn't contacted them. She had forced herself to have faith in him, but 5 years of disappointment was too much to bear. Lois decided to take matters into her own hands.


	4. Presents

Presents

It was Isabel's 6th birthday. Lois was determined to give her daughter the best birthday ever. She was ready to escape this hell with her daughter. She had heard from the guards that after today, due to some activity, the guards will be lessened. That means, she could have a chance of sneaking out of the room with her daughter. Then, she could contact the League to sabotage the lair. Lois waited patiently for her daughter's return and smiled. _After all these years, we can finally be free. _

Isabel walked to the training room automatically but was redirected by the officials to the Luthor's office. She had an ominous feeling of entering that room. Luthor had taken her to that room for punishment and meetings. What had she done this time? The door opened, revealing Amanda Waller and Luthor.

Waller examined her carefully as Isabel walked in. "She has grown." She said. Something in her cold stare made Isabel feel uncomfortable. Luthor agreed, "She has developed all of her abilities except flight which should be developed soon. I think she is ready." _Ready for what? _Isabel glanced nervously from Waller to Luthor. Waller said, "Let's begin then." Isabel knew that they were planning nothing good. So she backed away against the wall as Luthor reached for her. How she wished she could use her powers. Luthor smirked slyly and said, "Don't you want your birthday present?"

Isabel was unconscious in the operation room with several officials, Waller and Luthor. One of the officials injected a mercury-like fluid into Isabel. Instantly, Isabel's heart rate increased and her limbs began to struggle frantically. "She is going through a spasm, sir. Should we continue?" "Of course!" Isabel's heart raced. Her whole body was rejecting the invading liquid. After hours of painful struggling, Waller said, "The final perfection is complete."

Luthor and Waller observed the resting perfected weapon. After a few minutes, the girl's eyelids fluttered. They eagerly bent forwards. Isabel sprang up from her bed and turned her head towards the couple. She eyed the both of them like a hawk on its prey.

Luthor broke the silence, "Do you know who I am?"

Isabel tilted her head and replied, "Lex Luthor, age 59, head of Luthorcorp, creature of inferior intelligence."

Luthor frowned at the disrespect shown and added, "I am your creator."

"No, you merely gave me an opportunity to be one with this kryptonian body. Your only control on me is the meteorite wristband."

Waller became more and more fascinated and asked, "Would you work with us, Brainiac?"

Isabel turned her head towards Waller and questioned, "Why is it logical to work with you?"

Waller replied, "We can rule the world and take down the Justice League."

"Interesting objective but not attractive enough. I have no interest in taking over the world. I would like to explore the limits of my body."

Luthor fumbled for the wristband remote. "I have disabled the wristband. There was a computer chip inside. You really are a creature of low intelligence. Don't worry. I won't leave as there is data that I would like to collect here." With that, Isabel left the room, leaving Waller and Luthor speechless.

Isabel went back to the white room as the non-Brainiac part of her urged her to. Lois squeezed her daughter tight with her embrace. Yet Isabel made no move to hug her back.

Lois asked worriedly, "Isabel?" Isabel just stared at her with her blank blue eyes. "Isabel, What's wrong?"

"I am unscathed. Thus, I am alright."

"Honey, why are you talking funny?"

"I am now a Brainiac/Kryptonian/human hybrid."

Lois's eyes were rimmed with tears. Her legs gave way and fell to her knees. "No, no, please, God, no…"she murmured, sobbing.

"You are sad." Isabel said monotonously. Isabel crouched down and gazed at Lois like a child observing her new puppy. "Why do you cry? I am now more advanced than any creature."

Lois's fingers curled into fists and pounded the floor. "Isabel, let's escape."

"Why?"

"When we are free, we can finally be a family once more."

"You want to meet my biological father, Superman."

Lois stammered, "You…how did you find out?" "It is only reasonable to determine who my father is by my distinct powers and the fact that you are Lois Lane."

"But I never told you about my adventures with Superman."

"A part of me is Brainiac which can access information from the network, Internet."

"If you are connected to the Internet, Isabel, do you think…"

"I have no intention of contacting the League to save you."

"Not just me, but us! Don't you want to escape from the control of Luthor?"

"I am technically not controlled by Luthor as I disabled the wristband."

"Isabel, can you please contact Superman for me, for your mother?" Isabel closed her eyes for a brief moment and walked out of the room. _Isabel, where are you?_


	5. Freedom

Freedom

Lois laid crumpled on the floor, defeated. Without Isabel, she was nothing. Isabel no longer needed her.

"Mr. Luthor, we had detected a brief Internet connection in an alien computer." Luthor cursed the weapon he and Waller created. Isabel was hard to handle with her sudden impulses. She had insisted that she wanted to absorb all of the data on the Internet which seriously affected the main computer in the lair. Lex wanted desperately to take out a piece green meteorite and finish her. However, Waller had taken a liking to her new toy. She encouraged the weapon to do what she wanted. Luthor couldn't find anything except kryptonite to keep her in control.

"Mr. Luthor, Miss Lane refuses to eat or drink." At that moment, Luthor had a plan.

Isabel returned to the white room later that day. She saw Lois lying on the floor, motionless but for her shallow breathing. The food tray beside her was untouched. Isabel walked towards her and asked, "Why are you not eating?" Lois replied irritably, "I have nothing to look forward to." Lois said no more and waited for Isabel to leave.

*ALERT ALERT! INVASION OF LAIR! RED CODE ALERT!*

Luthor stopped on his way to the white room. Invasion? RED CODE ALERT? Then Luthor realized that the Justice League were invading. Luthor continued his pursuit towards the white room, determined to finish what he has planned. He slammed the door open and found what he was looking for.

Isabel stared at the gun in Luthor's hand. Lois, too caught sight of the gun. Luthor smiled sinisterly and raised the gun. He pointed the gun at Lois. Isabel glared at Luthor, causing the lights to dim ominously. "Ahh, am I causing some reaction from the robot? No one can save you now, not even the Justice League."

Lois looked up at Isabel. "Justice League? They are here? That means Isabel, you…"

Isabel paid no attention to her mother but took the chance to super-speed towards her mother, shielding her. Luthor chuckled.

"Are you sure I am the one with inferior intelligence? This bullet was especially made for you, Isabel. Pure green kryptonite." The door banged open.


	6. Too Late

Too Late

In came Superman. But it was too late. The bullet pierced through flesh. Her body dropped dead, blood spurting everywhere. Isabel's eyes grew wide with fear. Lois Lane was dead. Isabel couldn't move an inch but stare at her blood soaken mother. Her mother performed one last act of love to protect her. Superman gave Luthor an angry punch and super-sped to his wife.

Lois looked at her lover and chuckled. "Why are you always late? I love you" Her eyelids couldn't hold on much longer and closed. Isabel couldn't think, move or speak. Her mind was blank. She felt her father lift her from the ground but she couldn't move her limp form.

After Lois's funeral

"J'ohn, is she alright?" Superman glanced anxiously at the Martian trying to read his daughter's mind. Isabel remained silent and motionless from the moment Lois was shot.

Her eyes were bloodshot and dry as she refused to sleep. J'ohn frowned; he was unable to penetrate Isabel's mind. He further furrowed his eyebrows, staring intently into the girl's eyes, but Isabel would not let the stranger in. Eventually, J'ohn sighed and turned to Superman. "Her mind is too closely guarded."

Superman knelt down to face his daughter and whispered gently, "Isabel, I really want to help you. Will you let me help you?" Isabel didn't respond but just stared absent-mindedly at the corner of the room. Superman's fatherly instincts drove him to pat his daughter's head to sooth her. However, when his hand touched her hair, Isabel shuddered and buried her face in her knees. J'ohn saw the hurt expression on Superman's face. So he gestured Superman out of the room to talk. J'ohn still felt the melancholy from Superman who was still staring through the glass at his daughter.

"Superman, I believe that Isabel is still hurting inside. She is hiding her sorrow for the loss of her mother by retreating from the world. I suggest you take her home and give her some time to overcome her loss."

"J'ohn, she… she didn't want me to touch her. Do…do you think she blames me for her mother?" Superman's lips quivered as he spoke. J'ohn gave him a reassuring pat on the back and said hopefully, "Give her some time and she'll come through."

Superman paced around the conference room in the Justice League HQ. Where could he take her? Ever since Lois was gone, her apartment was vacant and no one had ever cleaned it as Clark spent most of his time at League HQ or Batcave searching for his family. Clark saw Batman walk across the corridor outside the room and rushed out to talk to him. "Batman, do you mind talking somewhere private?" They locked the door and Clark began, "Bruce, do you think Isabel and I could stay at your place for a while?"

Bruce's frown deepened and remained silent, thinking. He was used to kids in the house with 3 Robins but Isabel was different. She was so fragile at the time. Finally, Bruce agreed and organized patrol hours so that Isabel would not be alone in the mansion.

Wayne Mansion

Isabel followed the two men into the mansion. Clark put on his brightest grin and said, "Isabel, this is your new home. Uncle Bruce will show you your room, ok? If you need anything, just call me or Bruce." Bruce observed Isabel worriedly; he had never seen a child remain silent for so long. Isabel hadn't slept, eaten, bathed since Lois's death. "Clark, let me take care of her. You need to be in the HQ." Clark took one last glimpse of her daughter standing in the mansion hall and took off.

"Isabel, you haven't eaten for days. You need to eat something. Come with me to the dining room." Bruce gestured her to follow and looked for some food a child would like to eat. He opened the shelf to find nothing but 'healthy foods'. _Where is the pack of cookies which was my Christmas present from J'ohn? Flash and I are going to have a talk about this._

Luckily, he found a box of chocolates that Flash hadn't touched yet. _This should cheer her up._ Bruce remembered how the 3 Robins loved sugary foods. Isabel sat in the dining room patiently and simply stared at the chocolates in front of her. Bruce gestured at the chocolates. Isabel moved her hand timidly towards the chocolate and slowly put it in her mouth. She ate three more, took one more in her handand looked at Bruce. She extended her hand slowly towards Bruce and stared at the chocolate and back at him. Although Bruce never liked sweets, he took the offered chocolate.

Bruce's hate for Luthor grew as he saw the broken 6-year-old. Her eyes were dim and lifeless just like the eyes he once had when he first lost his parents. He understood a part of her pain, the pain from loss.

"Isabel, I know you probably heard from your father that your mother would want you to be strong and stay happy. I know how hard it is to carry on after the loss of a loved one. I lost my parents when I was eight. For a long time, I locked myself in my room and lost all hope. It is easy to just stay down after a tragedy, but I refused to let my parents down and became a vigilante."

Isabel had learnt this during her study sessions about the Justice League. In fact, it was because of this that she responded slightly to Bruce out of respect. In her heart, she wished she could be as strong as Bruce. The Brainiac in her tried to convince her to let it take over and rid her of all emotions and memory. Yet she remembered that weeks ago, her mother cried begged her to be Isabel not Brainiac.

She missed her mother's reassuring tone and ever-growing faith in a better future. After her death, her promises felt hollow and meaningless, leaving Isabel lost. Her mother said that when she left, she would be a success. Her mother believed that she could be a singer, actress, reporter. Her mother promised that she will always be there for her. _LIAR! LIAR! LIAR!_

Bruce saw that Isabel's hands clench into fists and knew something was not right. "Isabel?" Isabel was engulfed by anger and could hear nothing. She hated Luthor for destroying her life and killing her mother. She hated her mother for leaving her alone. She hated her father for his absence in her childhood. Isabel's dark blue eyes began to glow menacingly. Brainiac was taking over.

The electrical appliances in the house were turned on immediately, awaiting Brainiac's orders. Bruce predicted that Isabel's powers were immense but this?! Bruce called for Superman immediately and grabbed Isabel roughly by the shoulders, shouting, "Isabel, Stop!" But the TV just in front of them exploded, followed by some lights in the dining room. Sparks ignited and Bruce feared for a fire. Then Bruce realized something. Isabel was causing explosions near her. She was trying to kill herself!

Bruce used his body to protect her from the explosions which were dangerously close, ignoring the burns on his limbs. "Isabel, stop this! I will not let you kill yourself! I will always protect you!"

Suddenly the door burst open. Superman flew in. At the same time, the explosions stopped. Isabel's eyes returned to their normal bright blue. Isabel looked into the bright blue eyes of Bruce, opened her mouth and said softly, "Liar." Clark and Bruce were speechless for a while after they heard Isabel speak for the first time.

Bruce glowered at Isabel and threatened, "If you ever do such a thing again, you'd be chained to a green kryptonite."

"Bruce!" Clark was flabbergasted by Bruce's threat to a 6-year-old and was even more surprised to see Isabel smile slightly at Bruce's remark. Clark was curious of what Bruce did to make Isabel be attached to him so quickly. Clark was a bit disappointed and jealous that Isabel opened up to Bruce first but not to her father.


	7. Ignorance is Bliss

Ignorance is bliss

A week passed since Isabel had spoken. She ate more and began to regain her lost health. She still wasn't the talkative type but would sometimes express her views on some League business. She still cried secretly sometimes at night when she missed her mother and when she had nightmares of the 'kills' she did. Isabel had never revealed what Luthor had done to her to anyone but her mother. Clark and Bruce didn't force her to tell either. They knew that Luthor had 'transformed' her in some way but didn't ask her. Isabel knew Bruce searched on the Batcomputer for nights to find out. She wondered whether they would still protect her when they found out that she was the ultimate weapon to kill them.

"Isabel, I'm home!" Clark shouted cheerfully as he rushed to meet his daughter. "Hi… dad." Bruce had instructed Isabel to call Clark 'dad' as he knew that if she didn't, Clark would moan about it all day long in the Batcave.{Clark had bothered Bruce for a whole night at the batcave complaining that Isabel would call Bruce "Uncle Bruce" but would call Clark "Clark"}

Clark screamed with delight, giving her daughter a rib-breaking hug. Isabel shifted uncomfortably in his chest, wishing that Clark wasn't such a doting parent. Clark would do anything Isabel wanted in a heartbeat, but Isabel wasn't used to Clark's 'burning passion'. Isabel mused that her father was what her mother said he would be – a bit clingy. Isabel glanced pleadingly at Bruce who was leaning against the wall and smirking slightly. Bruce took pity of Isabel and said, "Clark." Clark released his tight grip on Isabel and turned around. Isabel gave him a thanks-a-lot smile. Bruce returned a not-to-worry-you-owe-me-one stare.

Clark felt the unbreakable connection between Bruce and his daughter and felt a pang of jealousy. Clark knew that this bond was due to the similarities they share. Clark could never quite catch what the pair was discussing. The topics include computer science, politics, social studies and so much more that leave Clark puzzled.

Bruce hated to admit that he enjoyed Isabel's company. She was so bright and understanding; she was the perfect daughter. Sometimes he secretly wished that Isabel shared his blood.

Although Isabel had opened up more and more to them, Bruce still felt that she was holding something back. Isabel said "good night" to both of them and went upstairs to her room. Bruce wondered whether Isabel would ever tell them what Luthor did to her. Bruce and Clark had discussed about this for quite some time as Bruce was unable to recover files from Luthorcorp about Isabel and Clark was having trouble interrogating the officials at the underground lair. Yet they decided not to ask her directly.

Isabel sprang up from her bed, sweating profusely. She could still hear Luthor's cold voice saying, "Well done." She checked the clock. It was 10 pm. Her heart was racing. She needed someone who could bring her peace. Mother. She needed about 3 minutes for this super-speed trip to the cemetery. She predicted that Bruce would realize her absence in about 15 minutes. There should be enough time. She stuffed her pillows under the sheets, shaping them to look like her and opened her window. She knew she couldn't go out through the door as the Batcomputer will notify Bruce immediately through the sensors on the doors. There was only one security camera blocking her escape route. She 'ordered' it to stay put in another position until she was off the grounds. She climbed down the pipes slowly and sprinted across the yard out of the gate, sticking to the shadows. At this time, she was somewhat grateful for the intense training in the lair.

Clark went upstairs to check on his daughter. He found the door slowly and saw her sleeping in the bed. Satisfied, Clark went back to the Batcave. It was 10:05 pm. Clark stretched his arms and said, "Isabel is so cute. She is sound asleep already. Any results?"

Bruce grunted in reply.

Clark sighed, "I wish she could trust us enough to tell us."

Batman stopped typing on his computer and said, "I think it's not that she doesn't trust us.

Luthor must've made her do something that she was ashamed of."

"You don't think Luthor touc…"

"No, Luthor was more interested in creating his own weapon. I told you my assumption that Luthor inserted Brainiac into Isabel to make her a better soldier."

Clark stared at Isabel's picture on the screen and said wistfully, "She really is a strong girl. Able to survive under Luthor's control and overcome Lo…Lois's de…death."

Bruce suddenly stood up and faced Clark, "I think it is time to help Isabel overcome Luthor's control on her." The two superheroes went upstairs and opened the door. As Clark turned on the lights, they immediately ran. It was 10:15 p.m.

Isabel sat next to her mother's tombstone. She used x-rayed vision to see her mother beneath the earth. Tears fell down her cheeks. She missed her mother's hands which stroked her hair. She missed her mother's mouth which spoke words of comfort. She missed her mother's eyes which reflect her endless love for her. The Brainiac inside her was confused. _Why do you cry for someone who is long gone? _Isabel ignored it. Isabel cried so long that she lost track of time.

Superman and Batman saw Isabel crouching next to Lois's tombstone and dashed forwards. Both men were far from delighted. Superman dragged his daughter up on her feet and gave her a very Batman glare. "What were you thinking? Why didn't you notify us before leaving the house?" Superman shouted, losing his temper. Bruce, on the other hand, seemed more composed which made Isabel fear him more. Isabel didn't dare look at her father's burning eyes and stared determinedly at the "S" sign on Superman's chest.

"Cl…Dad, I needed to see Mom alone."

"Don't you trust me, your father? If you have any worries, I will always hear you out."

"It's not that, dad. It's…"

Bruce stepped forward. "You are bothered by something Luthor did to you. Why not tell us?" Isabel dug her nails into her palms. "We're listening." urged Bruce.

"Luthor trained me to be an elite assassin of the Justice League. He made me study your weaknesses and fighting styles." Isabel bit her lip nervously.

"There is something else bothering you." Bruce pointed out.

"Before I say this, can you promise me that you'll not change the way you look at me?"

Bruce gave a curt nod and Clark nodded fervently.

"Luthor made me 'kill' all of you in simulation stages." Isabel stared at the ground. The adults remained silent. Isabel knew she was going to be abandoned and probably killed to eliminate the risk. She was not going to escape from her fate. She stood still, waiting for the strike. She saw her father's hand inch slowly towards her head. She closed her eyes tightly, anticipating the blow. His hand landed gently on her head, stroking her hair.

Confused, Isabel looked up to see her father's comforting gaze and Bruce's small smile. "Aren't you going to annihilate me?" The two adults chuckled.

Back home, Isabel began to walk upstairs to her room but was stopped by Bruce. Isabel looked up at Bruce. "Uncle Bruce?" Isabel caught a glint in Bruce's eyes which meant nothing good. "Although your doting father forgave you for your secret trip to the cemetery, I am going to punish you for disobeying me." Isabel trembled at the word "punish" which used to mean extreme beating by Luthor. "Meet me at the hall at 6am sharp."


	8. Punishment

Punishment

Isabel waited anxiously, pacing back and forth in the hall. Brainiac assured her that it will destroy every inch of this house if Bruce were to hurt her. Bruce appeared as Batman in the hall, gesturing her to move towards the wooden clock. Isabel stood there innocently, waiting for Bruce.

"Isabel, don't tell me you haven't been to the Batcave before." Isabel turned her head defiantly away from the smirking Bruce. {Bruce knew that Isabel was able to sense the Batcomputer downstairs and must have gone down there to explore secretly} Isabel pretended to fumble for the switch, hoping to convince Bruce that she had only been there for a few times only which of course, was not true. They continued to go down to the Batcomputer.

"So your punishment is to reprogram the Batcomputer."

"The whole computer?"

"Oh, yes." Isabel knew that Bruce was testing her abilities and tiring her as punishment.

Isabel sat down on the chair and placed her hands on the computer body. She summoned Brainiac and the screen on the Batcomputer showed "Reprogramming: 0.01%".

Bruce observed Isabel's glowing blue eyes. He was amazed by the incredible reprogramming speed. Even with Bruce's years of experience, he needed 7 nights to reprogram the Batcomputer. However, Isabel had reprogrammed nearly half in just an hour and a half. Bruce couldn't help but imagine how much help Isabel could be in the Justice League. Isabel's eyes dimmed and the Batcomputer showed "Reprogramming complete".

Isabel slumped back into the chair and yawned. Bruce scooped up the sleeping child and carried her to her bedroom. Bruce wondered whether the punishment was too much.


	9. Flash

Flash

Feeling refreshed from a night's sleep, Isabel went downstairs to find a red-haired guest.

"Isabel, this is Wally West. You can call him Uncle West." Her father introduced him.

Isabel examined the man and concluded, "You're the Flash." The red-haired guest spurted out the orange juice in his mouth, spraying the table with spit and juice. Bruce glared at the red-haired pest, disgusted.

"You…how did you know?"

"Well…I kinda read a lot about you." Bruce snorted in the corner.

"Really? Am I really that famous? Wow! You are really cute! I'll be coming for you ten years later!" Flash teased. Isabel has never been complemented on her beauty. So she blushed slightly. Clark and Bruce both caught sight of this and glowered at Flash.

"Geez! I was joking, gosh!" Flash raised both his hands to prove his innocence in an attempt to calm the other two fuming superheroes.

Isabel asked, "Why are you here, Uncle West?"

"Uncle?! I'm not that old! Drop the 'uncle'! Just call me "flash"!"

"Wally…"The two protective superheroes warned threateningly.

"Fine! Well, Uncle West wants to see your daddy and god-daddy for League business."

Isabel looked up at her dad hopefully. "No, Isabel. You're too young for League business." Isabel pouted and tried her luck with Bruce. Bruce simply gave her a cold stare to show his determination.

Isabel sighed and started towards the staircase. "Don't worry, cutie. Flash is going to tell you everything unlike these two meanies." "FLASH!!!"

Isabel went upstairs and connected with the Batcomputer in her mind. She watched the meeting from a surveillance camera.

"…problem is getting worse. Ever since Luthor was caught, there were organized raids in different states. The League's number is diminishing as during the fight against Luthor, Waller has forced some of the League members to surrender their hero identity. Some members are missing, possibily kidnapped by some organization. Waller is also trying to break down the League to make a deal with us. She wants her weapon, whatever that is for the freedom of the captives."

"Thank you, Flash." "You're welcome, Supes, Bats. Say 'bye' to the lovely lady for me!"

Isabel disconnected from the Batcomputer, feeling slightly dizzy. Her father and Bruce kept her as a secret from the League. The League was probably searching fruitlessly for the weapon but not realizing that the weapon was Isabel. The Brainiac in her told her to discard the idea of turning herself in as that was illogical. Brainiac also suggested by going to Waller would not benefit the League in the long term as she would be used as a weapon against them.

Bruce and Clark sat silently. Neither of them would ever give Isabel to Waller. What could they do to ensure the League's strength? What protection could they give to the members during missions to avoid Waller's attack? Clark decided to visit the Justice League HQ to raise the morale. Bruce returned to the Batcave to try to search for Waller's HQ. As Bruce looked up at the Batcomputer, he saw the surveillance camera video displayed on the screen which Isabel apparently forgot to close before she disconnected. Bruce then changed his course up to Isabel's room.

Bruce saw Isabel put on her most innocent face as he walked in. Bruce took no notice of those baby blue eyes and stared her down.

"You disobeyed me again." Isabel heard the disappointment in his voice and bit her lip.

"So you heard the whole thing." Isabel nodded. Bruce dragged a chair and sat down facing the girl.

"Are you going to betray your father and me and go to Waller?" Isabel hated Bruce's cold Batman voice.

Isabel decided to be straight with Bruce and bursted out, "I want to be of use to you. I don't want to be your liability. I want to do anything that can help the League. Please let me be part of the League!"

Bruce knew this day would come. His gaze softened as he continued, "Isabel, you were and will never a burden to us. I understand your eagerness to be in the League. However, your father doesn't wish to let you join yet."

"How about you? What do you think?"

"Isabel, I am not your fa…"

"I respect you like one." Bruce was slightly taken aback and extremely glad after Isabel's honest confession. "Well, in my opinion, your physical strength and intelligence far surpasses most League members, but you might lack maturity."

"Grounding me here in the mansion isn't going to help me be more mature though. Please let me go!" Bruce sighed. As a founding member of the League, he was free to recruit new members, but Superman's daughter?!


	10. New Recruit

New Recruit

"So Isabel, what do you want to talk about?" Clark asked who was in for a big surprise.

"Dad, I have officially joined the Justice League." Clark dropped his eyeglasses and stared at his ecstatic daughter.

"Which founding member recruited you?"

Bruce came to the living room and said, "I did."

"No… is this a joke? Isabel, you are only six!"

"I am turning seven next week, you know!"

Clark questioned loudly, "Are you out of your mind, Bruce? How could you do this to my daughter?"

Isabel defended Bruce, "Leave Uncle Bruce out of this, Dad! I want this a lot! Although I am technically 6 years old, I am capable of doing what even you couldn't achieve! I can do this! Let me prove it to you!" Clark stormed out of the living room, furious that his daughter sided with Bruce.

The next morning, Isabel put on a suit prepared by Bruce. The suit was like a black miniature Superman costume with a skirt. Isabel followed Bruce to the teleporter and was sent to the Justice League HQ. Isabel, a.k.a. Supergirl, tagged along Batman in the corridors, causing many members to go "aawwww". Batman glared at those who lost their fear in him.

Batman assigned Supergirl to the technology post. Supergirl was amazed by the immense surveillance systems and computers. Batman whispered in her ear, "Good luck. I'll pick you up at lunch." Isabel looked at the League members typing rapidly on the keyboards. Supergirl inched towards them and asked politely, "Is there anything I can help you with?" The heroes, mostly men, looked down to see Isabel who seemed at most 8 years old. The men laughed and asked tactlessly, "Who's your daddy? Are you lost?" Bruce had told her that respect must always be earned. Isabel was going to earn it. She stared at the main computer, hacking into the mainframe within minutes.

She made the main screen display, "I am not lost. I will ask you one last time. What can I do to help you?" The heroes looked at the child prodigy in awe.

At noon, Batman came to collect Isabel, only to find her surrounded by other heroes requesting her help. Batman was proud of her, gaining respect so quickly. Isabel saw Batman waiting for her and said quick goodbyes to her colleagues. The heroes saw Supergirl following Batman away from them. "So that's why she was so smart." One of the heroes comprehended.

Batman led Supergirl to a deserted table in the corner of the cafeteria and told her to stay put when he goes to collect food. Despite the fact that Batman chose to eat at the corner, all eyes in the cafeteria were on Supergirl and Batman. Batman returned with food, hoping to eat with Isabel alone.

However, it wasn't long before Flash joined in the fun. "So you decided to join the League. Good for you!" A man in green and black costume with a lantern symbol sat down at the same table with a woman with wings.

"Hey G.L! Have you met the little cutie yet?" Batman grunted in distaste. Isabel recognized the two of them as Green Lantern and Hawkgirl. Hawkgirl eyed Isabel curiously through her mask and looked from Batman to Isabel. Isabel knew that Hawkgirl got the wrong idea but Batman made no move to correct it. It wasn't long before the whole League knew about Batman's daughter. "I'm telling you, they look the same, think the same and even act the same!" "They are so much alike!" Rumours spread so widely that those who knew the truth like Flash didn't even bother to stop them.

For the next few days, Isabel and Bruce spent so much time at the Justice League HQ that they hardly met Clark. Rumours about Isabel's father continued to spread. Isabel was honoured to be recognized as Batman's daughter, but she began to miss her real father, Superman, the doting father who would squeeze her to death every time she saw him. Bruce too began to notice the absence of the alien in the cafeteria and corridors. Bruce and Isabel both deduced in their minds that he must be avoiding them in the directors' quarter where only the original seven were allowed in.

In the cafeteria, Superman once again failed to show up. Batman saw Supergirl scan the cafeteria anxiously and returning to her food with a sigh. Isabel looked straight into Bruce's eyes and asked, "Is there a way into the directors' quarter?" Supergirl leaned closer as Batman whispered into her ear.

Isabel crept up the stairs to the top floor and caught sight of the security measures that Bruce had described. The locks on the door relied on computer chips so it should be easy for Isabel. The only obstacles were the two meta-human guards. Isabel was pleased to find Plastic Man and Boostergold as the two guards. She had studied their character profiles before. They were both serious attention-seekers. The two heroes listened intently to their com-links, obviously waiting for missions. Isabel hacked into main computer sending a message to their com-links. "Plastic Man, Boostergold, please report in the teleporter station." They exchanged excited glances and dashed towards the stairs. Isabel hacked into the locking mechanism and the door sprung open.

Isabel entered the room and found her father sitting on the chair, resting his head in his hands. "Flash, I am not in the mood for games."

"Dad?" Isabel approached her father who looked 10 years older with baggy and bloodshot eyes. Superman didn't move from his current position.

"Are you still angry with me joining the League? If it makes you feel better, I think I am fitting in quite well."

"Isn't Bruce waiting for you to have lunch or something?" Isabel felt animosity in her father's tone. She sat next to Superman, waiting for him to hug her or stroke her hair, but Superman didn't move.

"Why weren't you there in the cafeteria or corridors for the past few days?"

"You were able to handle everything without me the last few days. So what do you need me for?" It was then when Isabel realized that her father felt that she didn't need him anymore. Anger boiled up inside her.

"You're right! I have no need for a brooding dad who ignores his daughter just for spite! How could you even think that I didn't need you? You've said it before. I am only 6 years old. I need a father I can look up to!"

Superman couldn't stop himself from saying, "Yeah, a father like Bruce!"

"How could you compare yourself with Bruce?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Dad, listen, I do respect Bruce like a father. However, that doesn't make you less a father. You are able to teach me something that Bruce can't and vice versa. I need you both! Is that too much to ask from you?" Isabel ran from the room, wiping her tears vigorously. She heard her father call her name, but she super-sped away to find Bruce.

She found Bruce talking to Wonder Woman and stopped in her tracks. Before Isabel could turn away, Bruce caught the sight of her teary eyes.

"Sorry, Diana. I have something to attend to." Wonder Woman gave him a light kiss and glided gracefully away.

"Isa…" Bruce stopped talking as the young girl wrapped her arms around his waist and sobbed quietly. _What did Superman do this time?_ Batman knelt down and scooped the child in his arms, stroking her hair gently. Bruce couldn't stand the hurt expression on Isabel's innocent face any longer and strode to the top floor's directors' quarter. Isabel has fallen asleep quickly due to the emotional stress. Bruce laid the child on one of the chairs and confronted the Kryptonian.

Without warning, Batman took out his small green kryptonite from his belt and punched Superman hard in the jaw.

"Do you have any idea how much stress you caused her? How could you be so immature as to neglect her? Don't you know how much you mean to her? Look at her uniform. She was the one who requested her costume to be similar to yours. Can't you fulfil your duties as a parent like I do? Or is this something even Superman can't do?" Bruce put the kryptonite back in a lead bottle in his belt. "Isabel needs you as much as she needs me. All we can do is to be there for her." Superman finally understood why Isabel admired Bruce so much. He had something that Superman didn't have.


	11. Birthday

Birthday

Isabel woke up in her bed back at the Wayne Mansion. She sighed when Brainiac in her reminded that she was 7 years old today. This day seemed so important to her earlier. Yet now, her dull pain in her chest reminded her only of loneliness. She walked downstairs to find the Mansion empty. She checked with the Batcomputer only to find out that Bruce and Clark were needed at the League HQ. _Some birthday…_

Isabel placed her hand on the TV and allowed Brainiac to absorb data. Isabel had to admit that letting Brainiac take over numbed the pain in her heart. Brainiac scanned through the channels, picking up different languages and accents. She was so occupied by the new data that she failed to notice Flash standing behind her.

"Hey cutie!" Isabel turned around to face the Flash. "League HQ main computer crashed. Can you help out?" Isabel faked a small smile and replied, "Sure." She wanted to do anything to keep her mind off her father.

League HQ

Something's peculiar with the main computer. The computer seemed to be invaded by another computer. The only computer which had such power to hack into the HQ main computer was the Batcomputer. Isabel set up security firewalls which were manually weakened. Someone deliberately sabotaged the main computer. Isabel deduced that the culprit must be a League member.

Isabel stared back at Flash who observed her during the whole repair. "Aren't you busy?" Flash shifted uncomfortably, saying nervously, "Nah! Ha…Hah! I've got lots of time!" _Flash is hiding something. Is he the one who crashed the computer? I doubt Flash was able to invade the main computer himself though. Who is he working with? What is his objective? _Isabel smiled sweetly at Flash. She knew she was going to have fun making Flash reveal his secret.

"Uncle Flash, why were you the one who contacted me? You're not holding the technician post." Flash pinched his leg and replied, "I was just helping out. Flash the happy helper! Ha!" ~Flash~ _Bats was right. Isabel is too smart for her own good. Crap! What should I do? Does she already know? _Isabel grinned at the full-grown adult whose confidence was faltering in front of her. ~Isabel~_ Just a little bit more and he'll break. This is just too easy. _"Uncle Flash, why did you crash the computer? Where are your other associates in this prank?" Flash couldn't stop the sweat staining the red mask. Breaking under pressure, he sped away.

As Flash sped away, he spoke into the com-link, "Bats, mission failed. Retreat! I repeat, retreat!" Bruce pursed his lips and asked Superman, "Are the decorations complete? Isabel found out and will soon come home." Clark groaned. "It will be complete if SOMEONE were to help out!" Bruce looked at Clark who was holding a cake in one hand and a huge box in another. "Teleporter activated." The Batcomputer reminded.

Isabel glanced at the "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" sign in the living room wall and chuckled. Clark and Bruce had gone through so much trouble to ensure her to have a 'surprise party' but failed dismally. The two adults rushed to meet her. Clark was flushed and panting slightly, but Bruce was simply smiling wisely at her. Isabel knew that Bruce probably was the mastermind behind all of this, using Clark's strength and speed to decorate the house and Flash to stall her.

Isabel walked awkwardly towards them, wondering how to repay their kindness. She took the initiative to wrap her arms around each of them and whispered "Thanks". As she pulled away from the both of them, Clark was tearful and Bruce was grinning from ear to ear. Clark looked at his daughter through misty eyes and said, "Isabel, I am really sorry for hurting you last week. I wasn't a good parent. Will you forgive me?" "I wasn't angry with you. I just…missed you." Clark realized that Bruce was right to let her join the League as she was incredibly mature.

Bruce broke the silence by saying, "Aren't you going to unwrap your presents?" Isabel looked at the two boxes in the dining room, which differed greatly in size. The larger one, undoubtedly from Bruce, was larger than Isabel herself. The smaller one was shorter than Isabel but still considerably big. Superman noted the size difference sourly. Clark had a budget whereas Bruce could buy pretty much anything.

Isabel walked over to the packages, x-raying them only to find them covered with lead. She unwrapped the smaller package and found 5 books on social etiquettes. "You said you wanted to understand the slangs that Flash always says. These books should help you." "Thanks, Dad." Isabel turned to the other present. Bruce had given her a grand piano. Isabel had never actually seen it before so she circled it, observing it carefully. Bruce explained, "It would be good for you to have a hobby other than League business like a normal child. So…"

Tears fell from Isabel's beautiful blue eyes. "Why do you treat me so nicely? I…I am n…not worth…" Clark cursed Luthor for crushing his daughter's self-esteem and said, "We love you very much, Isabel. It's time for you to trust in our bond." Clark wiped Isabel's tears away. Isabel questioned, confused, "How can I repay you?" Bruce said soothingly, "You can start by believing in yourself, finding your dreams and chasing after them." Isabel flashed back to what Lois said to her: "You can be anything you want: a singer, actress, reporter, you name it." What was her dream?

After tucking Isabel into bed, Clark went to the Batcave. "Any news about Waller?" Batman replied, "No, she is pretty determined to retrieve Isabel." "When do you think Isabel can be a normal girl and go to school?" Batman didn't reply. They both knew that Waller's society, Cadmus with part of the government's military wasn't going to give up their weapon. The only way to keep Isabel safe was to keep her in the Wayne Mansion and in the Justice League HQ.


	12. Music

Music

By next morning, Isabel had finished her 5 books and finally understood what Flash meant by saying 'chicks' and many other slangs. After this realization, she understood Bruce's distaste for the vulgar red-haired superhero. As Bruce and Clark ate breakfast, Isabel explored her piano. Using Brainiac, she learnt how to play some classical music at ease like Chopin's Nocturne. Her father was amazed by her progress. Isabel was surprised by the music's power. When playing the piano, she felt confident and unexplainably contented. Within seconds, she was immersed in the music, swaying gently with the music. Bruce and Clark realized at that moment that Isabel loved music and had talent.

It was time to leave to Justice League HQ. Isabel somehow didn't want to part with the piano but followed Bruce and Clark to the teleporter. She felt that music was her red kryptonite, giving her passion and ecstasy. When monitoring the computers in the HQ, she couldn't help but listen to music on the Internet through Brainiac. Some songs had lyrics that spoke of the feelings in her heart.

Batman saw Supergirl spacing out and staring absent-mindedly at the window. He gave a small smack on the head and growled in his Batman voice, "Concentrate!" Isabel snapped out of her trance and rubbed at the spot where Bruce hit her. Still glaring at her, Bruce scolded, "Stay focused or else I'll assign you to elsewhere!" Batman strode away.

At noon, Isabel wanted nothing more but to return to her grand piano. Was she addicted to music? The Brainiac in her couldn't understand her fascination with music. She wished there was a piano in the HQ. She wondered whether Bruce or her father would allow her to work in the Justice League and play music at the same time. Isabel went to the cafeteria to plead with her father and Bruce. She found Superman sitting at a table with Green Arrow, Flash and Wonder Woman. She prepared her puppy dog eyes and bounded towards her first target. "Hi, Superman." Clark was stunned to see her daughter sitting in his table as she always liked to talk to Bruce who was in charge of her sector. Batman, who was waiting for Isabel, found her sitting with Superman which usually meant that the little she-devil was planning something. Batman strode towards Superman's table, knowing he was ruining Isabel's plan.

Wonder Woman shifted her chair to allow Batman to sit. "So, Supergirl, care to explain why you spaced out during your shift?" Isabel could see the smirk behind Batman's mask. Green Arrow defended the quiet Supergirl, "Give it a rest, Batman! Do you know she was the one who single-handedly perfected our security system?" Isabel gave Green Arrow a grateful smile which further encouraged Flash and Wonder Woman to join in. Flash added, "Supergirl is on an 8-hour shift. It is normal for her to want to take a break. Besides, the perfected security system is impenetrable." Wonder Woman's motherly instincts took over and gave Isabel a gentle pat on the head.

Batman glared menacingly at them and they immediately fell silent. Bruce scowled at his teammates who were blinded by the 'innocent' look on Isabel's face. "Supergirl, meet me in the second room on the second floor." To tease Batman more, Isabel clutched at Superman's sleeve. Wonder Woman scolded Batman, "How could you scare such a cute little girl?" Batman left the cafeteria, giving Isabel one last dirty look. During this whole incident, Superman remained confused, unable to comprehend the situation.

Feeling slightly guilty about the ordeal in the cafeteria, Supergirl shuffled her feet slowly towards the room. Batman was waiting for her inside. Supergirl reluctantly closed the door, feeling trapped in a cage with a lion. "I see Flash's influence on you." Batman stared at her coldly. That was partially true as Isabel joined in some of the pranks that Flash organized and it was Flash who taught her how to capture the hearts of the League members.

"What did you want to talk about with your father?" Batman's stare hadn't left the girl's face. Isabel knew that Bruce saw through her every move and probably understood her better than her father.

"About what you said on my birthday about chasing my dreams, I think I have found what I truly want."

"So you want to quit the Justice League."

"No! All I want is be of use to the League and pursue my interest at the same time." Bruce saw the similarities between Clark and Isabel. He once asked Clark to give up his job as a newspaper editor but he bluntly refused as he said that his job and the League were both parts of him. Isabel too wanted this.

Bruce leaned back in his chair. "So, your passion is music. You really are different from your parents who chose to be reporters."

"So, do you permit me to…"

"However, if I find you spacing out again during your shift, I will burn the piano into ashes. You can play music during breaks only. Your shift has ended. So you can go the 8th room on the 3rd floor." Isabel's eyes widened. Bruce knew what she wanted and had prepared a piano for her. "Thanks! I love you!" Isabel ran out of the room. Batman sighed. Diana was right when she told him that he was getting soft.

Isabel found the lustrous black piano. She couldn't wait any longer and began to play. She started with a slow Chopin Nocturne op.9 no.2, swaying with the waltz. People began to stop in the corridor to see where the music came from. Isabel felt the familiar peace and comfort from the music. She recalled the song which touched her heart when she heard it on the Internet. "There you'll be" by Faith Hill. The lyrics reminded her of Isabel's mother. Isabel took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Her fingers travelled to the chords and she began:

"_When I think back  
On these times  
And the dreams  
We left behind  
I'll be glad 'cause  
I was blessed to get  
To have you in my life  
When I look back  
On these days  
I'll look and see your face  
You were right there for me_

_In my dreams  
I'll always see you soar  
Above the sky  
In my heart  
There always be a place  
For you for all my life  
I'll keep a part  
Of you with me  
And everywhere I am  
There you'll be__"_

She sang her heart out for her mother. She knew that somewhere in the world her mother could listen to her heart's genuine voice. She sang the lyrics from her heart. _Can you hear me, mother? I am singing for you._ Tears fell down her face uncontrollably as she finished by repeating "There you'll be". Superman who had stood there with Batman for quite a while moved his hand to open the door to comfort his crying daughter. Batman blocked his hand and said, "Clark, let her sing for her mother. This is Supergirl's way of remembering her mother."

Isabel repeated the song once again to her audience's pleasure. Even Wonder Woman, Hawkgirl and many other heroes who never cried couldn't stop the tears from falling. Isabel's voice was so sincere and heartbreaking. Everyone knew that she meant each word in the song.

After hours, Isabel closed the piano cover and turned to the door, only to find a crowd of heroes listening to her sing. Among them, she saw all of the original seven. She blushed profusely; she had expected her music to be private. She was astonished to see so many teary-eyed heroes. She stepped out of the room and was instantly crushed by her father's arms. "That wa…was beautiful. Lo…Lois would have lo…loved that." He whispered into Isabel's ears. She returned the hug, clinging onto her father's cape. The surrounding heroes all 'aaawwwed" at the hugging couple.

Back at home, Clark never stopped praising Isabel's exceptional musical talent. As Clark went into the kitchen to get some food for Isabel, Isabel leaned towards Bruce and looked straight into his eyes. "So, did you like it?" Bruce ignored her question and stated, "I am going to sound-proof the room. The room distracted many League members." Isabel added slyly, "Including you." Before Bruce could say anything else, she went into the kitchen to help her father.

"Dad, when Waller stops her pursuit for me, I think I want to be a singer." Clark looked at his little girl and smiled. She was like Lois, always having big dreams. Clark had no doubt that Isabel was capable of achieving that. However, he feared that Waller would not let his daughter have any chance of developing her career. The Brainiac in Isabel explained to her that Waller wouldn't stop looking for her. However, Isabel ignored it. Her mother believed that she could be anything she wanted to be. Isabel was going to prove her mother right.


	13. Waller

Waller

In the Batcave, Bruce was getting worried. Waller had revealed to the League that she knew that her weapon was among them. Bruce knew that Waller wanted the League to turn against Isabel and betray her to her. There was turmoil in the League; everyone was wondering who the 'weapon' was. Superman had returned to the HQ, calming the members. They both decided that Isabel was to stay at the Mansion.

Undoubtedly, Isabel wasn't happy to hear the news. She loved hanging out with Flash, Wonder Woman, Hawkgirl, Green Lantern, Green Arrow, J'ohn and sometimes even Question. Batman caught her sneaking up to the teleporter and made her sit next to him at the Batcave. Isabel frowned at Bruce, angry at him for not letting her fight with Waller.

Bruce caught Isabel glaring at her again and sighed. "Waller knows that you are in the League. You are safe here."

Isabel retorted, fuming, "I joined the League to fight against villains, not to hide from them!"

Bruce gave her a cold stare. "Do you really think you can fight against Waller? If you lose, you will be locked away by her just like Luthor did for 6 years." Bruce knew that using her terrifying experience with Luthor to restrain her was a low blow but he had to make her understand that this wasn't her fight.

Bruce had succeeded in quieting Isabel. "I believe that there is at least one spy working for Waller in the League. It is too risky for you to return to the HQ."

Isabel gazed intently into Bruce's eyes. "You're not telling me everything." Bruce thought sadly, "This girl is too smart for her own good."

"Waller announced her attack of Justice League tomorrow if we fail to cooperate."


	14. Disobedience

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Disobedience

The next day dawned. Superman hadn't returned home. Batman hadn't slept and was still typing on the Batcomputer. Isabel hadn't slept either, sitting next to Batman. She prayed for the League's safety. The gods ignored her prayers. The Batcomputer flashed the alert warning, signaling the invasion of Waller's army into League HQ. Several original members called out for Batman and Bruce stood up. Isabel stared at him, concerned. "I am needed in the HQ."

Batman took out the red-sun radiation ropes and saw Isabel cower. Isabel pleaded, "Please, let me help." Bruce took no notice of her pleas and tied her to her chair. Batman threatened her in his most Batman voice, "If you disobey my orders and go to the League HQ, I will never forgive you. Do I make myself clear?" Isabel murmured, "I understand." As Batman went out of the Batcave, Isabel shouted as loud as she could, "Please don't die!"

Isabel cried for her incompetence. She was useless. She was no hero. She was only a damsel in distress. The Brainiac in her suggested, "Why not connecting to the Batcomputer and observe the situation in the League HQ?" Isabel looked at the screen and opened the League HQ security camera videos. Waller's army was formed by clones of meta-humans formerly known as Ultimatum.

The League members were being defeated by these enhanced soldiers. The soldiers seemed to feel no pain and attacked ruthlessly. She found Flash unconscious on the ground, still surrounded by clones beating him senseless. Hawkgirl was pinned down by several clones and some clones were tearing at her wings. Isabel could hear her ear-splitting scream. Isabel asked Brainiac for guidance, "How should I get out of these ropes?" Brainiac instructed her to inch towards one of Batman's collection of weapons and cut off the ropes.

Isabel was going to rescue her family.


	15. Rescue

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Rescue

Isabel was teleported to the teleporter station in the League hall. Luckily, all of the clones were occupied by League members. Isabel deduced that these clones were controlled by a main program on a computer which should be with Waller. In order to stop the whole invasion, she needed to find Waller.

Isabel knew that the wretched woman was here in the HQ. Waller didn't like mistakes so she always preferred to take matters into her own hands. Before Isabel could react, one of the clones slammed her into the wall. Luckily, due to her Kryptonian DNA, she was unscathed but the clone had contacted its master. Isabel cursed herself for her lapse.

Within seconds, Waller's voice boomed in the speakers. "My weapon is in the teleporter station. League members, I will give you one last time to prove yourselves. Bring me Supergirl and you will live." Instantly, the clones and League members stared at her hungrily. Isabel recognized one of the League members who worked with her at the tech station. The League members reached for Isabel, hoping to live through the day. However, Supergirl super-sped out of the hall to the second floor. With both the League and clones searching for her, Isabel had nowhere to hide.

Isabel activated Brainiac, scanning for the speakers' signal source. She followed the source up to 3rd floor. She found Waller's abandoned headset on the floor but no Waller. "What now?" She asked Brainiac. Isabel calmed herself down and thought logically. Waller must be hiding somewhere secure; somewhere League members couldn't easily enter. The directors' quarter.

Isabel's heart raced. If Waller was in there, that meant that she had a hostage who was one of the original 7. The door guarding the director's quarter used pupil recognition system. It also could not be destroyed by bombs or hacked by human technology. Isabel hacked into the security system once again and opened the door.

Waller sat cross-legged on the chair near the original 7 conference table, waiting for Isabel. Isabel caught sight of a still body lying near Waller's feet. Superman. Superman was lying still on the floor, apparently affected by the green kryptonite in Waller's hand. Isabel knew that her father, a full Kryptonian, was extremely allergic to green kryptonite unlike her, who would only be affected through physical contact.

Waller examined her weapon, taking note of her angry glare. Isabel stepped forward, shaking with fury. "Let Superman go." Waller didn't shift at all but continued to stare at Isabel. "Why would you want a corpse?" Waller asked coldly. Isabel didn't dare look at her father's limp body, fearing the worst. Waller prodded Superman with her high heels. "Don't you dare touch him!" Isabel hated that woman.

She willingly let Brainiac take over. Brainiac sensed many electrical appliances hidden in the shirt of the woman. "Inferior creatures." Isabel said tonelessly. Brainiac exploded the main control of the clones hidden in Wallers's pocket. Waller screamed as the explosion blasted her across the wall. Blood seeped through her trousers where the control was placed. Isabel approached the cowering woman mercilessly. "You humans depend too much on technology." Waller clutched at her deep wound, screaming, "Stop! Don't kill me!" "You are so weak. I have no intention of helping such a weak species." Brainiac was bored of this woman and decided to finish her off. Waller saw Isabel's eyes glow once more.

Isabel was knocked off her feet by Batman with a green kryptonite in his hand. The kryptonite cut Isabel's arm and blood gushed from the wound. Despite the pain from the wound, Isabel didn't snap out of her trance. Instead, she staggered to her feet, her eyes turning to Batman.

"Why do you stop me? Annihilating the enemy is logical."

Batman couldn't believe that such words coming out of Isabel's mouth.

"This is what Isabel desires." continued Brainiac. "She called me to take over because she was afraid of losing another biological parent. So she agreed to let me eradicate the risk."

Batman said gently, "Isabel, Superman's still alive. He is weak and needs medication. He needs you not Brainiac."

The glow in Isabel's eyes faltered and finally dimmed. Her body shuddered and was caught by Batman. Evidently, Brainiac used up her energy. Batman laid Isabel on one of the chairs and faced Waller. "Waller, you are a reasonable woman. Brainiac can never be controlled. You may try to capture it once more but next time I may not be there to save you." Waller nodded, still speechless from fright.


	16. Heal

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Heal

Batman and Superman sat next to the sleeping Supergirl. "Clark, you need to rest." Clark refused to rest but watched over his motionless daughter. Isabel hadn't woken up for three days already. It seems like Brainiac's powers took a huge toll on her energy. Clark heard from Bruce what had happened. Bruce also ensured him that Waller wouldn't bother Isabel again for a long time.

After three more hours, Isabel's eyelids opened. Once Bruce saw that she was awake, he deliberately left. Isabel looked up at her father and smiled weakly. "Owww… dad." Despite Isabel's feeble protests, Superman wouldn't let his daughter out of his arms.

Isabel pushed her father gently to take a better look at him. "Are you fine enough to get out of bed?"

Clark's heart warmed at her daughter's concern. "Don't worry, Isabel. I'm Superman. Let's go home."

Superman's heart broke as he saw her daughter stumble as she got out of bed. He had forgotten everything Bruce told him about punishing Isabel for disobeying orders when he saw his fragile daughter. Superman decided to leave that to cold-hearted Bruce. When they reached the mansion, Clark instantly rushed to the kitchen and grabbed something for his underweight daughter to eat. Isabel looked around the mansion for Bruce but wasn't successful. She still remembered vividly when Bruce told her that he wouldn't forgive her for going to the League HQ. Isabel missed Bruce's sarcasm, wisdom and company. Was he really going to neglect her forever?

Isabel decided to go to the Batcave to talk to Bruce. As she walked down into the cave, she saw the cut ropes on the ground. Bruce heard Isabel approaching him, but continued to type on the Batcomputer. Isabel knew Bruce was giving her the silent punishment. She sat on the floor next to Bruce's chair and wrapped her arms around her knees. Bruce wanted to give her a gentle pat on the head, but he wanted Isabel to know how petrified he felt when he found out she escaped. He understood the Isabel's bold motives behind the escape, but he couldn't take the risk of Isabel kidnapped or even killed. After several minutes, Bruce felt a light nudge against his leg. Isabel had fallen asleep and leaned against his leg. He couldn't stop the corners of mouth from twitching. He scooped the girl up and tucked her in.

Isabel woke up from her bed, grinning sweetly as she knew that Bruce carried her from the Batcave.

Isabel was delighted to find Bruce at the dining room eating breakfast. "Uncle Bruce?"

Bruce didn't take his eyes off his plate. "Sorry to bother you. I'm going to League HQ. Just wondered if you want to join me." Isabel walked upstairs without another word.

"Stop." Bruce ordered. Isabel turned around to face Bruce. "You are not going anywhere." Bruce~_ This little brat! _Bruce grabbed Isabel's arm and dragged her downstairs. Isabel winced. Shocked, Bruce immediately let go and checked her wound from the green kryptonite.

Isabel chuckled softly and wrapped her arms around Bruce, whispering, "Uncle Bruce, you know I had no choice but to escape. You would do the same for me, wouldn't you? Just forgive me and talk to me. I miss you." Isabel could hear the cogs in Bruce's brain moving. Isabel released her arms around him and smiled innocently at him, awaiting his verdict. Bruce grunted in defeat.

Before Isabel moved upstairs, Bruce added, "You're not allowed to go to League HQ until you have my permission. Starting today, you are going to train with me."

"Train where?"

Bruce took Isabel to the training grounds in the Batcave. "I have observed your combat pattern. You have immense power but lack the discipline to utilize them properly. I will help you have greater control over Brainiac's power."

Bruce lined the electrical appliances up on the table and picked up a timer. "Turn them on but don't harm the appliance." Isabel concentrated on the toaster, the first in line. The toaster was turned on immediately.

"Keep the power steady." The toaster began to smoke and the plastic covering began to blacken. "Stop!" Isabel realized that the toaster nearly exploded. Isabel spent the day turning on and off electrical appliances. Bruce criticized her for every small detail that went wrong. Even Brainiac in her found this training useless and monotonous.

Bruce finally said, "We'll continue this tomorrow. Let's get to combat training."

Isabel looked at Bruce questioningly, "Who will be my opponent?" Bruce removed his utility belt and stretched.

_No way! I can't fight Uncle Bruce! I might hurt him! _

Bruce saw her worried face and said, "You don't need to go easy on me because I won't either." Isabel's worries stopped when Bruce slammed her into the cave wall. Bruce didn't wait for her to stand up and pinned her down. Isabel's laser beam from her eyes narrowly missed Bruce as he jumped back.

"Are you OK?" Isabel asked anxiously. Bruce took advantage of her short break and advanced. Isabel~_ Fine. If he's going to be serious, I will show him what I can do. _Bruce noted that Isabel was finally paying her full attention to the fight. Luthor's training taught Isabel how to be unpredictable. So Bruce was having a hard time predicting her next move.

After 30 minutes, Isabel successfully pinned Bruce down, grinning victoriously. Isabel suddenly flashed back to the time when she 'killed' Batman and leapt back from Bruce, trembling. Without looking back, Isabel ran out of the Batcave and back to her room. Visions of her hands snapping the necks of the heroes swam in her head. She tried her best for two years to push them out of her mind. Yet the pieces of memory were etched in her mind.

"Isabel?" Bruce approached the crouching girl slowly. "What's wrong? Did you flash back to what Luthor made you do?"

"I can still see the dead bodies I killed during the simulations. They were so real. What if Luthor made me…"

"Isabel, are you really so arrogant that you think you are able to kill me, The Batman?" Bruce joked. Isabel looked up at Bruce and extended her tongue at him, a gesture she picked up from Flash.

Bruce sat next to Isabel and asked her, "I heard from Clark that you wanted to be a singer when Waller was gone from your life. Are you still serious about that?"

Isabel looked hopefully at Bruce. "Of course!"

Bruce continued, "You will need to have another believable identity other than your superhero identity. You will need to be discreet not to reveal your real identity especially with the paparazzi."

"Just like Batman with your Bruce Wayne identity."

"Yes, I pretend to be two people with extreme characters." Isabel closed her eyes and thought, "It would be wonderful if I could achieve that."

Clark listened to Bruce's proposition as he came home. Bruce proposed to create a stage name for Isabel's singing career. Then Bruce would contact his old 'friends' in the recording business to take her in. Clark was reluctant to let his seven-year-old daughter go out in the society yet, but didn't want to crush his daughter's dream. Stage name…


	17. Interview

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Interview

Isabel woke up to find Bruce and her father waiting for her in the living room.

Clark said, "We have decided to let you try out for your singing career only if you are able to handle League business, training with Bruce. We have thought of a stage name for you - Selene Beckinsale."

Isabel giggled; she knew exactly what the name meant – S.B. ().

Bruce added, "You must remember that you must be discreet with your identity. If you are unable to cope, I **will** end your career. I have arranged your interview with the Chairman of EIG record company for today afternoon." Isabel super-sped to her room, wondering what to sing. She had secretly written a song for Bruce and Clark.

"Is that Bruce Wayne?"

"Oh my god, it's Bruce Wayne!"

The record company's staff all rushed out to see the legendary playboy, Bruce Wayne. The females swooned as Bruce passed them to Isabel's disgust. Bruce pretended to like the attention, waving back at the ladies.

"Mr. Wayne! Good to see you!" the chairman greeted Bruce. They followed the chairman into his office. Isabel smiled sweetly at the chairman who examined her face.

"Hmmm… Her appearance is of star quality. At her young age, she would attract many adults. As she grows older, her audience should extend to boys. Now, for your singing. Do you mind singing something for me, Selene?" Isabel frowned at Bruce.

The chairman chuckled and said, "Are you uncomfortable singing in front of Mr. Wayne?" Bruce rolled his eyes and left the room, discouraged. Bruce leaned against the door, straining his ears. However, the door was sound-proof.

After 15 minutes, the door finally opened, revealing the chairman with puffy red eyes and Isabel patting him on the back. Bruce was even more curious to know what happened. The chairman said between sobs, "Mr. Wayne, Sele… Selene is marvelous. He…her voice is so touching. I have signed a 20-year contract with her and assigned her our top agent, Miss Vickers."

For the next few days, Clark and Bruce missed Isabel terribly as she was whisked away by her agent, Miss Vickers almost every hour after League duty. The record company was resolute about the idea of preparing Isabel for her first debut. Clark and Bruce glanced at the clock. It was midnight, but Isabel hasn't come back home. Bruce arranged with the record company to keep Selene's address and other details private. So every night, Isabel was escorted by her agent to the train station for her to super-speed back home.

Bruce saw the bat signal flash on his watch; Isabel was within 100 yards of the mansion. Bruce and Clark counted to 5 in their minds.

"I'm back!" Isabel zoomed into the room. Both adults glared at her.

Isabel smiled apologetically, "Miss Vickers insisted that I should get to know my co-workers better to produce music of paramount quality." She caught sight of the cold food on the table. "Sorry for making you wait for me."

Bruce and Clark were both having second thoughts about the identity Selene Beckinsale. Although Isabel hadn't slacked off during League duty or training, Bruce could see the strain taking its toll on the girl. In spite of her Kryptonian invincibility, Isabel had dark circles around her eyes which were covered by make-up put on by her hairdresser. Clark, on the other hand, simply wanted to spend more quality time his daughter when she wasn't sound asleep. Yet they restrained themselves from barring Isabel from her dream. They could see the sparkle in Isabel's eyes when being Selene and would never take that away from her.

The three superheroes sat down around the dining table and began to eat. Isabel glimpsed at the two superheroes and wondered whether she was too selfish to chase her dream at the cost of abandoning her mentors.

Clark cleared his throat and asked encouragingly, "How are you doing with your debut?"

Isabel's eyes instantly lit up and reported, "The company wishes to let me record a single to let the public know me first. Then if the public responds well, I can hold concerts and release more albums. I have already recorded the single and am going to hold a live performance at Main Square in Metropolis."

"When?"

"It should be on a Sunday this month." Isabel picked that day because according to Brainiac, that day was when humans honour their fathers.


	18. Song

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I do not own any of the characters except Isabel. In this chapter, I used the song 'You found me' by The Fray.

Song

Isabel's heart pounded painfully in her chest. This was the day. Her first actual performance. Everything had to be perfect. She slipped into her Supergirl costume and went down to meet Bruce and Clark.

In the Justice League HQ, Isabel forced the worries of her performance out of her head as she tapped into the League main computer. Time seemed to fly past and it was noon.

On her way to the cafeteria, Flash sprinted forwards to talk to her. "Hey there, Supergirl! Where's your pretty smile?" Flash reached his hand to touch Isabel's face. Whack! Flash's hand was brandished with a whip in Batman's hand.

"What the hell, Bats? That really stung!" "Good." "Where did you get the whip anyway?"

"A gift from a feline friend." Flash was still examining his red spot on his hand gingerly. Batman tugged at Supergirl's arm.

As Batman walked away from Flash with Supergirl, he whispered, "You need to be more alert with Flash's perverted mind." With her super-hearing, Isabel heard his every word clearly and chuckled. Bruce acted like an overprotective father which pleased her greatly.

After a while, Isabel thought about her upcoming performance and sighed. Bruce realized her anxiety and smiled, amused. Isabel had stage fright. Bruce asked, smirking, "Is the superstar scared?" Selene replied defiantly, "No."

"Selene? Turn this way." Selene's private hairdresser padded make-up on her face. Ashley Vickers paced around the dressing room, feeling more stressed than Selene. Selene heard every distinct voice in the crowd outside the room.

"What is the stage for?"

"Who is this Selene Beckinsale?"

"Pretty cute, but I doubt a 7-year-old can sing well though."

Isabel covered her ears, praying for silence.

Miss Vickers laid her hand on Isabel's shoulder comfortingly and said, "It is time. Remember, just relax and sing your heart out." Isabel observed her reflection in the mirror. She wore a blue frilly dress and a pair of black heels. Her face was lined with light blush. Her eyes were decorated by mascara and her lips shined from the red lip gloss. She wasn't Isabel. She was Selene Beckinsale.

Some cynical people in the crowd smirked at the young child walking towards the mike stand. Selene scanned the crowd quickly before saying, "I am Selene Beckinsale, a new artist. Today, I would like to perform my original song, "I found you". This song is written for two very important people in my life." Then she strode confidently towards the piano and began.

_Everyone ends up alone  
Losing her  
The only one who's ever known  
Who I am  
Who I'm not, who I wanna be  
No way to know  
How long he will be next to me_

Lost and insecure  
You found me, you found me  
Lyin' on the floor  
Surrounded, surrounded  
Why'd you have to wait?  
Where were you? Where were you?  
Just a little late  
You found me, you found me

Early morning  
The city breaks  
I've been callin'  
For years and years and years and years  
And you never left me no messages  
Ya never send me no letters  
You got some kinda nerve  
Taking all my world

Lost and insecure  
You found me, you found me  
Lyin' on the floor  
Where were you? Where were you?  
Lost and insecure  
You found me, you found me  
Lyin' on the floor  
Surrounded, surrounded  
Why'd you have to wait?  
Where were you? Where were you?  
Just a little late  
You found me, you found me  
Why'd you have to wait?  
To find me, to find me

Selene hung to the last note and glanced at the silent crowd. As she stood up and bowed towards them, they cheered loudly and chanted her name.

"That was "You found me" by Selene Beckinsale, everybody! Buy her single here for $30!"

Miss Vickers hugged her artist tightly and repeated, "That was perfect! Well done!" Isabel returned to her normal self, still surprised at what she just did.

Clark and Bruce still stood motionless at the corner of the street where they heard Selene's song. They understood what the song meant and were speechless. They knew that this was Isabel's Fathers' Day present for them. Seeing the growing queue of the CD stall, they wasted no time to join in the queue.

Miss Vickers escorted Isabel into the limousine, heading for the usual train station. Vickers stared curiously at the child. Without the make-up, she looked like an ordinary 7-year-old yet she was so much more. She reached out her hand to stroke her lustrous hair, but Isabel shifted her head to avoid the contact. Isabel still didn't trust the blonde woman with the same violet eyes as her mother.

For all she knew, Vickers might be the one who would reveal her superhero identity. Vickers sighed. She heard from Selene's song and knew that she had lost someone dear to her and another rescued her from her loneliness. How she wished she was her saviour! She had never seen such a young girl with overwhelming emotions trapped in her tiny mind. Vickers wondered what made her different.

As Isabel stood up to leave, Vickers asked, "When do you think you can invite me into your home?" Isabel groaned in disdain at the nosy woman and left the limousine without turning back. Vickers just realized that she was dissed by a 7-year-old and thought, "_She is so NOT CUTE!_"

Back at the Wayne Mansion, Superman literally bounded up and down in front of the TV, obviously excited. Isabel was dragged in front of the screen by the still ecstatic Clark.

The reporter in the TV said, "EMI records has signed a new artist who is rather different from others. This artist is Selene Beckinsale, a 7-year-old girl." During this introduction, a clip of Selene's performance was played.

Then, the reporter continued, "This little girl performed one song in Main Square, Metropolis and attracted thousands to buy her single which is now sold out. Let's listen to some of the feedback."

Another reporter interviewed one of the people holding Selene's CD. "What did you think of this Selene Beckinsale?" A young blonde woman blubbered through her tears. "Her so…song *sniff* is so beautiful. After I…I heard "You found me", I phon…phoned *hiccup* my dad. Love you, dad!" A few more people were interviewed, pledging their love for Selene and promoting her single.

Clark crushed his daughter in his arms. "You did it! Your CD was sold out!" Isabel wriggled in his embrace, hoping to escape.

Luckily, Bruce intervened by saying, "You will be busier with your growing fame. So I have to warn you that I won't lighten your load during League duty or training. Also, be sure to have three regular meals every day. If you can't fulfill these requirements, I will know and phone Miss Vickers myself."

Clark released his grip on his daughter to Isabel's relief, and defended her, "Bruce, don't be so harsh on her! We have many League members that can help out during her duty hours."

Isabel said, smiling, "It's OK, dad. It's just Uncle Bruce's way of saying congratulations. About the League duty, I don't mind spending 8 hours working if I'm with you." Clark once again gave Isabel an anaconda squeeze on the arm and cried, "Isabel, you are so sweet!" Isabel~_ I'm only saying that to spend more time with Uncle Flash, Uncle J'ohn, Uncle John, Auntie Shayera, Auntie Diana. _

Everything was fine for Isabel, but little did she know that in jail, Luthor caught sight of Selene on TV and recognized who the girl was.


	19. Revenge

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I do not own any of the characters except Isabel. In this chapter, I used the song 'I believe' from the Korean movie 'my sassy girl'.

Revenge

_Selene Beckinsale?!__ So Brainiac is planning on gaining people's acceptance. Hell I'm going to let that robot get its wish! _ Luthor decided it's time to contact the huge gorilla, Grodd.

During Isabel's League duty, she figured something was wrong with the jail monitoring system. She immediately contacted all League members through their com-links. "Possible breakout in jail. Need immediate assistance." Crowds of heroes rushed to the teleporter. Among them was Batman. Batman gestured for Isabel to stay at HQ to give further instructions. Isabel sulked; Batman and Superman never let her leave the League HQ to fight crime face to face. According to them, she wasn't ready.

Furious with her two mentors, she tapped into the computer again. This time, the jail sent a message to the League HQ. "**Luthor escaped with help of Grodd**." Isabel snapped out of the computer immediately; she shivered uncontrollably. Lex Luthor was free!

Luthor stepped into Grodd's lair and walked towards the gorilla.

Grodd asked Luthor, smirking, "Had fun in jail?"

Luthor replied, "Can't say I have? I need your assistance in something."

Grodd straightened his back in his chair. "I'm listening."

"I need to recapture my lost project, Brainiac."

"Please elaborate."

"I worked with Waller to combine Kryptonian and human DNA with Brainiac, hoping to create the ultimate weapon."

"How did you obtain Kryptonian and human DNA?"

"Superman's daughter."

"Aahh… let me guess, Superman retrieved his daughter."

"Yes, I need to find a way to weaken her and bend her to my or our will."

"Well, she is partly human and Kryptonian. So she can die physically. Let's think."

Batman and Superman searched desperately for Luthor who had ruined Isabel's life. Yet the escape was well-planned and they returned to League HQ eventually. To their surprise, they found that Supergirl was still connected to the League HQ, her eyes letting out a ominous glow.

Batman placed his hand on Supergirl slowly so as not to startle her. "Supergirl, shouldn't you be off-duty by now?"

Supergirl shrugged off Batman's hand and muttered, "Luthor…Luthor" Bruce, extremely worried by Isabel's weak mental condition, tugged at her arms touching the computer, wishing to disconnect her from the computer.

Superman used his super-strength to pry her hands away from the computer and finally caught Isabel's attention. Her glowing eyes dimmed and she kneeled on the ground as Brainiac drained her energy.

Isabel pushed herself up and staggered towards the computer once again, mumbling, "Can't stop…Luthor…Luthor." Batman barred the exhausted Isabel from the computer.

Superman wrapped his arms around her, patting her back soothingly. "It's okay, Isabel. I won't let Luthor hurt you. You're safe with us. Leave Luthor to us."

Isabel clawed at Superman's cape and spoke softly, "I don't want to be locked away again."

Batman too knelt down and said in his non-Batman voice, "The whole League is searching for him. We won't let him reach you. Shouldn't you be with Miss Vickers by now? Let me take you there this time." Bruce made sure that everything was secure in the record company before leaving Isabel with Miss Vickers.

Isabel pushed her worries out of her head and became Selene. She approached her strangely silent agent. "Miss Vickers?" Ashley Vickers, who had been affected by Poison Ivy's powder and was under Luthor's control, plunged the syringe into Isabel's neck. Isabel let out a whimper and pulled out the syringe out her skin. Vickers fainted after the attack. Before Isabel too blacked out, she pressed the emergency button which contacted Batman and Superman.

After Isabel regained her consciousness, her body felt strangely numb.

Superman's hand was on her forehead. "She's burning up."

"What happened?" Isabel muttered through her dry lips. Batman didn't answer but continued to monitor her pulse and write on his clipboard.

Superman replied, "Luthor took control of Miss Vickers and made her inject you with some sort of virus with green Kryptonite, making you sick." Superman saw the distressed look of his daughter and quickly added, "You're going to be alright, though. Batman will find a cure soon. So just rest."

Isabel knew her father was lying. This was no normal virus. She couldn't even lift her arms to reach for the glass on the table. Superman promptly picked up the glass of water to his daughter's lips. Batman had a pained expression beneath his cowl as he observed the frail Isabel.

Isabel realized that both adults were staring at her and instantly faked a smile. "Yeah, I'm going to fine in a few days. So don't worry." Everyone in the room knew that Isabel didn't believe that herself.

Ever since the suicidal attempt at the Wayne Mansion, Isabel never thought much about death. She focused on League business and Selene and her emptiness in her heart faded. As both adults left her alone in the recovery room in League HQ, she stared at the white-washed walls. Was she going to meet her end?

"The girl has been infected by the virus and should be resting with her father." One of the thugs reported to Grodd and Luthor. Luthor ordered, "Get ready to contact the League."

"Supes, is little cutie okay?" Flash asked outside the recovery room. Superman gestured Flash away from the room to avoid Isabel from over-hearing.

"Flash, I…what should I do?" Flash's mouth gaped open; Flash had never been asked for advice from anyone.

"So, it's that serious. I have known Supergirl for nearly a year now. She was reluctant to tell me about her worries because she didn't want to become my burden. She is a lot like Bats in that way. She wouldn't want her sickness to slow you down. Believe in her. She is a lot stronger than you think. I doubt this virus could kill that stubborn little devil!" Superman goggled at Flash; he never realized that Flash could be this deep with his irresponsible, happy-go-lucky attitude.

"Superman, come quickly to the conference room!" Batman called through the com-link. Superman sprinted towards the room. Had Batman found the cure? When he caught sight of Batman's frown under the cowl, Superman knew something wasn't right. "Look at this." Batman played something on the screen.

Luthor spoke on the screen, "How's your daughter doing, Superman? The virus I infected her with does have a cure. I would like to make a deal with you. You give your daughter to me, I'll keep her alive. Don't keep your daughter waiting for too long."

Superman cursed at the bald man on the screen. Batman sat through the video, his hands on his forehead.

Superman glanced at his partner and asked bleakly, "What should we do?" Batman went to the recovery room to find Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Martian Manhunter and Hawkgirl there talking with Supergirl in the bed.

Isabel greeted Batman cheerfully, "Hi, Batman! Isn't it sweet that they all came to visit me?" Batman was too observant to miss the slight pant in her voice and pale face.

"Out!" Batman ushered the superheroes out of the recovery room.

"What? Batman! We were just talking!" Green Lantern debated angrily. "Fine, whatever. Flash told me to give you the acoustic guitar. Get well soon!"

"Thanks for visiting me. Thank Uncle Flash for the guitar!" Finally, only Batman and Supergirl were in the room.

"You know you shouldn't be wasting your energy entertaining them! How reckless you are!" Batman scolded crossly.

"I told you, I'm fine!" Supergirl insisted. Batman glared at the stubborn girl and grabbed her hand.

"Hold this 7-pound weight for me." Batman dropped the weight mercilessly in her hand. It fell to the ground as Isabel's hand was still too weak.

Batman continued, "You need to rest, not hang out with friends!"

"And what? Waste my last days in my bed? Wait for my death while the others weep for me?" Isabel could feel her body functions breaking down. Her appetite lessened and she wasn't able to bend her legs. She knew it wasn't long before her heart stopped beating.

Batman took Isabel's cold outstretched hand in his warm gloved head. "You are going to live through this! Do you remember what I said when I first met you? I will always protect you."

"Uncle Bruce, I know you and dad are trying to help me. I appreciate that a lot. But…but I don't know how long I can stay. Every day I lose control parts of my body to the virus. Soon, I will be paralyzed completely and finally die. I want you and dad to understand that you tried your best to free me from my fate. It's just me who is too weak to carry on." Before Isabel could utter another word, Batman stormed out of the room, slamming the door. Isabel~ _I really am pathetic. Not only am I going to die, I even angered Uncle Bruce._

The dull ache in Isabel's heart was unbearable and Isabel picked up her guitar. Thinking about her father and Bruce, she sang softly.

_I believe that if things are meant to be  
They'll come true  
And the past will set me free  
I believe and I know deep in my heart  
That you will see  
In the time we are apart  
I've not let you go  
I've kept you here with me  
Even though it seems like I've moved on  
The distance still hurts me_

But if the years go by and you forget me  
Know that I love you  
And that I cherish all the days  
That you were here with me and I  
Was beside you there inside your arms  
Warm in summer time  
No, I can't let go  
Thinking of what might have been

I believe  
Even though I must leave you  
There will be a time we meet again  
If it's true  
That your heart is meant for me  
Then fate will see that in distant days we'll meet

And I'll love you still  
but will you still love me?  
Knowing what I've done to you  
But not how much you mean to me

And if the years go by  
and you forget me  
know that I've missed you  
And that I've looked back on the days  
that you were here with me  
and I was beside you there inside your arms  
Warm in summer time  
No, I can't let go  
Thinking of what might have been

A wounded heart is hardest to forgive  
But I'll still try to make it right  
For every day that I have been  
Away from you  
I'll kiss you twice  
And tenderly I'll pledge to stay

But if the pain has made your heart  
Forget me  
Know that I'll miss you  
And that I'll look back on the days  
That you were here with me  
And I was beside you there inside your arms  
Warm in memory  
I'll let go of you, wishing for what might have been

I'll let go of you, wishing for what might have been

Batman heard every word of Isabel's song. He understood that she had a strong desire to live, but the circumstances seem to be against her will. Could he betray Isabel to save her life?

Wanting Isabel to control part of their decision, Batman and Superman explained to her about Luthor's deal.

After hearing Luthor's proposal, she said tonelessly, "You want me to go to Luthor to save myself. I do not fear death but I do fear what Luthor would make me do." They knew that Isabel would give such a response.

Batman growled ominously, "So you wish to wait for your death?" Superman shot Batman an angry glance for saying such negative things.

"What do you expect me to do? I don't need Brainiac to analyze my situation to realize that my body is losing the war." At that moment, Batman stood up abruptly and sprinted out of the room. Superman moved nearer to his brave daughter, allowing her head to lean against his chest. Superman looked up at the ceiling , stopping the tears from falling down.

He asked in a choked voice, "Isabel, do you have anything you want me to do for you?"

"Shouldn't you be busy with League business? The world needs you more than I do."

"The League covered for me so I have more time with you."

"Then… can you let me stay like this for a while?" Superman ~ _Lois, I'm sorry. I couldn't protect you and now Isabel…_


	20. Cure

Hey _**readers**_! Please _**REVIEW**_ my story and tell me what I can improve or what you like about them. For a better story, please _**REVIEW**_!!

PS thanks for the 2 reviews. I will do my best to keep the chapters' length. I WELCOME ALL COMMENTS :

I do not own any of the characters except Isabel. In this chapter, I used the song 'I believe' from the Korean movie 'my sassy girl'.

Cure

Batman had found the cure for Isabel, but he knew she would never accept it. When he heard something Isabel said, something clicked in his mind. He had found something that would kill the virus in her body. Was he able to inject the cure into Isabel without her permission? Was he doing this for her or his own selfish reasons? He couldn't bring himself to tell the blunt Superman about the cure. The Boy Scout wouldn't be able to cope with the dark cure. If anyone was to taint Isabel's body with this, it would be the Batman.

Isabel's health worsened a lot. She shifted in and out of consciousness which drove her father frantic. Batman stood outside the recovery room, fingering the syringe filled with the 'cure' inside his belt. Batman entered the room, urging Superman to go back to duties. Batman removed his gloves and stroked Isabel's head gently. He could see the occasional wince on the girl's face.

He moved towards Isabel's ear and whispered, "Isabel, please forgive me for giving you this cure. I can't stand to see another one in my family leave me again." With that, he injected the cure.

For seconds, Isabel remained still. Then, Isabel's eyes sprang open. She began to gasp for breath, arms flailing. Batman struggled to pin her down. "Hurts…why…" Isabel repeated endlessly, filling Batman with guilt. The struggle continued for 30 minutes and subsided. Isabel slumped back on her bed. Batman held her hand, concerned.

Finally, Isabel woke up. Bruce couldn't help but be startled by Isabel's glowing blue eyes.

"You silly human, injecting more of me into the Kryptonian girl would discard more of her weak human character which you treasure."

Bruce asked, "Brainiac, is Isabel in there?" Brainiac closed its eyes for a brief moment and replied, "Yes, but her brain signals are weak. You are quite fortunate that I have interest in the Kryptonian girl or else everything here would be eliminated for my data."

"Isabel? Please…" Brainiac suddenly pushed Bruce onto the ground. Brainiac looked at Bruce and reported, "The child doesn't wish to see you according to her brain signals." Bruce had hope when she knew Isabel was still in her body but sad when he knew that Isabel would never forgive him for turning her less human.


	21. Hate

Hey _**readers**_! Please _**REVIEW**_ my story and tell me what I can improve or what you like about them. For a better story, please _**REVIEW**_!!

PS thanks for the 2 reviews. I will do my best to keep the chapters' length. I WELCOME ALL COMMENTS :

I do not own any of the characters except Isabel.

Hate

Superman was surprised to see his daughter, alive and well. He wrapped his muscular arms around her, only to see his daughter's cold stare.

"Isabel? Are you still ill?"

Brainiac answered, "Kryptonian, your offspring is too weak and tired to take over this body."

Superman gawked at the girl. "Brainiac, how could you take over Isabel's body?"

"Batman strengthened me by injecting my remains into the girl." In a split second, he was in the conference room with Batman.

"Bruce! How could you do that to Isabel? Taking away her soul like that? You knew perfectly that Isabel wouldn't want Brainiac to dominate her body. I trusted you. Isabel trusted you!" Batman hadn't looked at Superman; he wasn't able to put the betrayed look on Isabel's face when Batman gave her the 'cure' out of his mind. When Bruce found out that by turning Isabel more like Brainiac would save her, his fear of her death took over. The Batman was scared.

Batman stood up to leave.

Superman, enraged, grabbed Batman by the neck and choked him. "How dare you hurt her like that? She loved you like a father."

Batman clawed at Superman's hands and growled, "Clark, I loved her like my daughter. I couldn't let her just die like that!" Superman released Batman.

Superman said softly, "I understand how you feel. Will she be dominated by Brainiac forever?"

Batman replied, "From what I observe, Isabel still can display emotions so I think that Isabel's mind is still intact but fading."

Superman looked up hopefully and suggested, "Why don't we stay with her in case she recovers?"

Batman stared at the ground and said with concealed sorrow, "She doesn't wish to see me. You should go."

Batman stared longingly at the recovery room's door and reached for the doorknob. Yet Brainiac's voice said in Batman's mind, "She doesn't wish to see you." Then he returned to his lab and decided to take revenge on the source of all this chaos, Luthor.

"J'ohn, come with me. We are going to pay Luthor a visit."


	22. Sacrifice

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I do not own any of the characters except Isabel.

Sacrifice

"Batman, this is too reckless. You know perfectly well that Luthor is not along in Grodd's lair. There are at least 50 villains in the lair." Batman paid no notice to the Martian's warnings and pressed harder on the pedal of his Batmobile.

"Superman, this is J'ohn. Batman is planning on attacking Luthor alone. Assistance is needed." J'ohn sent a telepathic message to Superman. Superman groaned.

Brainiac stared at Superman and asked, "What happened, Kal-el?"

Superman answered, "Batman is on one of his crazy schemes again. He is going to attack Luthor alone." Superman thought he saw Brainiac's eyes dim slightly.

He continued, "I need to go stop him. Sorry, Isabel." Before Superman reached the door, he felt a hand grab his cape.

He turned around, hoping to see his daughter's bright blue eyes but saw Brainiac's eerily glowing eyes. "She wishes to come." Brainiac reported emotionlessly. After trying so hard to get a response from Isabel, Superman was relieved to see that Isabel wanted to save her Uncle Bruce. Superman picked up his daughter who promptly put on her mask and flew to Grodd's lair.

Grodd and Luthor chuckled as they saw Batman and the Martian enter the lair. Were they so stupid to come alone? Grodd commanded, "Villains, let's have some fun!" The villains cackled hysterically and left to meet the two superheroes.

Batman and the Martian were soon surrounded by at least sixty villains. Batman moved to his fighting position, awaiting the endless fight. He craved for the pain during the fight to wash away his burning guilt.

Luthor joined in the fun and surrounded Batman and Martian too. "Batman! I thought you were rational enough to not come to our lair with only one other member!" Batman paid no notice to his smug comment and charged at one of the villains.

Superman reached the lair and put his daughter on the ground. Within a split second, his daughter had super-sped away. Superman too super-sped to catch up with her. Isabel seemed to know where Batman was through Brainiac.

When Supergirl reached the fighting crowd, the Martian was trapped by the Yellow Lantern and attacked by several other villains. Batman wasn't doing too well either; he tried to dodge some of the blows but failed dismally and was constantly thrown onto the ground. Isabel in Supergirl immediately rushed to rescue Batman and the Martian. Superman too joined the fight. Supergirl used her super-strength to thin the crowd of villains surrounding Batman.

By the time Supergirl reached him, Batman was on the ground with cuts all over his body. Before Supergirl could pull him away from the crowd, Luthor caught sight of her. "Supergirl? How did this happen?" Batman looked up from the ground, surprised.

Brainiac answered, "You lesser being are too weak to destroy me." Luthor was astonished to hear Brainiac speak instead of Isabel. Suddenly, something clicked inside Luthor's brain.

He laughed hysterically and said to Batman, "I underestimated you, Batman! I never knew you were able to do what I did to Supergirl. Ha! You are just the same as me!"

Superman, who took care of most of the villains, retorted, "Luthor, you are nothing like Batman!" Batman was still speechless, lying on the ground. "Really, Superman? Yet I don't hear Supergirl denying this fact." Superman was enraged and punched Luthor, the only villain standing as other villains including Grodd had escaped.

Before sending Luthor to prison, the Martian erased Luthor's memory of Supergirl totally, leaving Luthor remembering nothing of ever meeting her. Brainiac was still motionless from Luthor's comment. It couldn't feel anything from Isabel's blank mind. Supergirl just stood there as Superman and the Martian helped Batman up. Superman took them to League HQ hospital.


	23. Lost Wings

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PS I KINDA Pity BATMAN… : ( I WELCOME ALL COMMENTS :

I do not own any of the characters except Isabel.

Lost Wings

"Are you ok, Isabel?" Superman asked his daughter who hadn't said anything since the incident. "I am uncertain. I felt nothing of her brain signals." Brainiac replied. Superman couldn't take just looking at his daughter fade away. He went to the hospital and find Batman.

When Superman entered the room, he found Batman standing up already. "Batman, you should rest more." Batman paid no attention and reached for the door.

Superman grabbed his arm and added, "You should stop acting so recklessly! Do you know how Isabel is fading away?"

"What do you expect me to do, Superman? She no longer trusts me."

"Bruce, when I told Brainiac that you were going to Luthor's lair, Isabel wanted to go with me to rescue you. For trust, you must earn it like you did three years ago with her."

Batman remained quiet for a while and said, "I need a syringe to take her blood to monitor her condition." Superman was pleased to see his friend back and rushed to get a syringe.

Supergirl turned her head towards to see Batman with the syringe. "Isabel? Can you let me take your blood?" Superman asked puzzled, "How can you use a normal syringe to penetrate Supergirl's skin?"

"From what I gathered, Brainiac can control when to portray Kryptonian characteristics so as to minimize the effect of Kryptonite and red sun radiation on her." Batman reached out for Supergirl's arm which instinctively retracted.

Brainiac answered coldly, "Both the girl and I do not wish to be experimented on by you."

Batman replied, looking into Brainiac's eyes searching for Isabel's, "Isabel, I am sorry for repeating what Luthor did, but I know you understand my motives. I just need some blood samples to ensure your health and I'll go."

Then when Batman tugged at her arm, she no longer resisted. Superman's eyes widened when the syringe for humans penetrated Supergirl's skin. To what extent did his daughter's power go?

After filling three small tubes with blood, Batman removed the syringe and said gently, "You can use your Kryptonian powers again." Immediately, the needle hole on her skin healed. Supergirl turned her frozen blue eyes to Batman and waited for him to fulfill his promise and leave. Batman stretched out his hand to pat her head, but she shifted her head to dodge his touch. Sensing her hostility, Batman left the room with Superman.

After detailed lab work, Batman reported to Superman, "The dominance of Brainiac is growing. All of her powers are controlled by Brainiac. Also, her Kryptonian powers seem to have stopped developing."

Superman took in the information slowly and questioned, "Stopped developing?" "It seems like she will be unable to fly." Batman couldn't help but sense the metaphor behind. He had clipped the wings of his angel, Isabel.


	24. Rebirth

Hey _**readers**_

I'm planning on writing a story involving _**ROMANCE**_ and _**ADVENTURE**_ about Isabel at 16. please _**REVIEW**_ and give me some ideas.

I do not own any of the characters except Isabel.

Rebirth

"What should we do to get Isabel back?" Superman asked Batman. They both noticed the growing control of Brainiac over Supergirl. Even the Brainiac symbol began to appear on her forehead. Time was running out.

Batman decided to take Isabel home to Wayne Mansion so as to trigger her emotions. Brainiac entered its 'home' and stared curiously around. The two adults looked anxiously at Isabel, hoping to see a smile. However, Brainiac just stood in the living room.

"Isabel, we're back home. Did you miss home?" Superman asked encouragingly. Brainiac merely stared emotionlessly at Clark. Bruce went upstairs to Isabel's room. The room was exceptionally clean as Isabel was trained by Luthor to clean after herself. Bruce tugged at the locked drawer and smiled. Isabel sure was a secretive child. He managed to break the lock and see its contents. In there was Lois's wedding ring, a scruffy book with crumpled pages and a metallic box.

Bruce picked up the book and opened to see pages of drafts and scribbles. He caught sight of the title, "You found me" and realized that this was Isabel's original song book. He was astonished to see that Isabel had written at least 20 songs in the book. He picked up the metallic box and found a hand-made electric lock system. Apparently, one needed to type in the right password to open the box. Bruce knew that if he guessed the wrong password, the box would probably have another safety protocol. So he decided to take the box down to Isabel.

Bruce presented the box to Isabel and requested, "Isabel, can you open this box?" Brainiac answered, "The password is "Selene Beckinsale". The girl didn't allow me to tell anyone the password, but now she's…" Superman quickly snapped, "Isabel's STILL here! I know it!" "Correction. She's too weak to be sensed by me." The box cover snapped open to reveal a small diary. Bruce immediately flipped open the diary to the first entry.

_Dear Diary,_

_Uncle J'ohn suggested me to write in a diary every day to keep track of daily events. So I did. _

_Daily Events:_

_8:00 a.m. -8:20 a.m. Washing up_

_8:20 a.m. – 8:40 a.m. Breakfast with Uncle Bruce and dad_

_8:40 a.m. – noon Morning League Duty in Technology Sector_

_Noon – 12:30 p.m. Lunch in Cafeteria with League members_

_12:30 p.m. – 4:40 p.m. Afternoon League Duty_

_4:40 p.m.- 8:00a.m. Resting at home_

The second entry

_Dear Diary,_

_Uncle J'ohn said that I should add what I felt each day in my diary instead of just listing what I did each day. I think I feel annoyed after he told me this._

Both Bruce and Clark chuckled when they read this. Isabel was sometimes so innocently ignorant that could always make others smile. Bruce then tipped the diary and let the pages fall to the last page.

_Dear Diary,_

_I just performed on stage today. 'You found me' is one of my favourite songs. Miss Vickers told me that when I sing, I shine like a star. I don't know about that. However, when I sing, I am truly myself. Only I can be Selene, but Brainiac can't. Also, when I sing, I think I feel mom listening._

_PS I am pleased that both Uncle Bruce and Dad purchased my CD. _

After reading this diary entry, both adults slapped their hands to their foreheads. How could they be so blind? The only thing that could save Isabel was the one thing that she could do but Brainiac couldn't. Bruce tugged at Isabel's sleeve to follow him to the grand piano. He gestured her to sit.

Brainiac said, smirking, "I am not that silly child who devotes her soul to this piece of wood." Clark barred Brainiac's exit and forced her to stay. "You and your futile efforts."

Bruce placed his hands on the piano. He had long forgotten how to play the piano since his adulthood. Yet after observing Isabel for a long time, he remembered the basic chords of her favourite song.

The introduction of the song started slowly and Bruce glimpsed at Isabel who remained motionless. Bruce skipped to the chorus and sang, "You found me, you found me. Lost and insecure, you found me, you found me." Isabel's fingers twitched on her lap as the song continued. Images of her mother, father, Bruce and other League members flashed across her mind. Clark's mouth gaped open as the Brainiac symbol faded away. Without warning, Isabel's hand grasped Bruce's wrist on the piano.

Isabel looked up at Bruce's desperate expression and said wickedly, "You really suck at playing the piano." When both adults caught sight of Isabel's long gone bright blue eyes, they rushed to hug her. "Ahh!" Isabel protested as they crushed her frail body.

They let Isabel catch her breath before talking.

"Do you remember what happenned?" Clark asked.

"Yes. Bits and pieces. But it felt strange. I didn't feel anything. It was like I was becoming part of Brainiac." She shivered as she explained.

Bruce shifted uncomfortably and asked, "Do you hate me for…"

"At first, I did. I hated you for repeating what Luthor did. But, now, I think I don't."

"Do you trust me?"

"Should I?" Isabel smiled at Bruce's inability to answer.


	25. Promotion

Hey _**readers**_

I'm planning on writing a story involving _**ROMANCE**_ and _**ADVENTURE**_ about Isabel at 16. please _**REVIEW**_ and give me some ideas.

I do not own any of the characters except Isabel.

Promotion

"Welcome back, cutie!!" Flash bounded towards Supergirl. Isabel smiled back.

Flash continued, "Did you like my post-birthday present? Can you play the guitar already?"

"Well, I am still practicing." The truth was that Bruce had given Isabel a silver flute for birthday and he insisted that she should learn it before touching presents from others. On the other hand, her father, who didn't want to compete directly with Bruce, gave her a music box which plays "Hero" by Mariah Carey. She found that the tune was incredibly soothing and wondered whether she could put this song on her coming album.

From today, she was going to record her album after League duty. So she couldn't keep the smile from her face as she went on duty. Bruce and Clark could both tell that she was in a brilliant mood.

After a few days, Selene's album was finished and promoted. EMI records made sure that their young artist had the public's full attention by posting commercials on every media they could find. Selene's songs were played in malls, restaurants and in cars. Selene was instantly branded as the new best-selling artist. Soon the albums were sold out and a concert was said to take place.

Isabel yawned at the dining table, causing Bruce to glare at her disapprovingly. Suddenly, Selene's cell phone rang.

Isabel glanced at the screen and groaned. "Miss Vickers?"

"Selene, please come to the company tomorrow for a briefing about your coming concert in Gotham."

"OK. Bye."

Both adults regretted their choice of letting Isabel be Selene more and more each day as they saw some of the fanmail that the superstar had gotten. They were disgusted by some of the people drooling at Isabel's charm, especially one particular 9-year-old boy who wrote hundreds of letters.

They also saw the press's rubbish stories about the superstar. The press tried to dig up everything about Selene's background but couldn't find much but the mundane personal information made up by Bruce. So they resorted to creating rumours about Selene's troubled past.

Isabel looked up from her plate with pleading eyes and said, "Dad, Uncle Bruce, Miss Vickers organized a 5-day concert tour in Gotham. So can I please go?" Both Clark and Bruce stayed silent.

Clark, who couldn't take more of Isabel's puppy dog eyes, replied, "As long as you promise me that you will be careful…"

"Thanks, dad!" Isabel bounded towards Clark and leaned her head on his shoulder.

Bruce couldn't help but notice how easily Isabel manipulated Clark. _That idiotic blue scout! _ He saw that Isabel, who sat on her father's lap, had turned her attention towards him. Isabel tilted her head meaningfully and waited for his response.

After some more moments of silence, Bruce finally spoke, "I will let you take a break from League duties for 5 days and resume later. For the concert, I need to check your clothes for any over-revealing items and you are not to leave Miss Vicker's sight or else I will come personally to fetch you." Isabel nodded earnestly and went to give Bruce a hug.


	26. No1 Fan

Hey _**readers**_

I'm planning on writing a story involving _**ROMANCE**_ and _**ADVENTURE**_ about Isabel at 16. please _**REVIEW**_ and give me some ideas.

I do not own any of the characters except Isabel.

No. 1 Fan

"Selene, do you need a break?" Miss Vickers asked worriedly, handing her artist who had rehearsed for 4 hours straight a bottle of water. Selene shaked her head and gulped down the water. Miss Vickers could sense the nervousness emanating from the girl. Tomorrow was her first concert.

The alarm in Miss Vicker's wristwatch rang. "Stop the rehearsal! Good job, everyone!" Selene pouted and said, "So soon?"

Miss Vickers replied, "My boss told me that I must let you go on time or he will be in trouble." Isabel chuckled under her breath; Bruce must had threatened the record company chairman.

"I'm home!" She shouted. Isabel scoffed down her dinner and ran upstairs in her room to continue her rehearsal. Before Clark went back to his bedroom, he checked on Isabel. "Isabel?"

"Oh…hey, dad!" Clark frowned as he saw the unhealthily pale complexion on Isabel's face.

"You should rest for your concert tomorrow."

"O…Oh sure!"

Clark knew that his daughter wasn't going to stop practicing so he sat down next to her bed and said, "It's normal to feel nervous. I'm sure you'll do well."

"Dad, it's that this concert is going to determine my career's success. So…"

Clark wrapped his muscular around Isabel's shoulders and patted her back soothingly. "It's going to be fine. If it makes you feel calmer, you can wear Lois's ring during the concert." He picked up his daughter and tucked her in.

When Bruce and Clark went to check on Isabel next morning, she was already gone. "Selene, are you ready for tonight?" Miss Vickers asked, staring at the girl practicing her piano.

"I just need some time alone in the backstage room." Selene replied coolly, looking at her watch. She still had 8 more hours. Miss Vickers, discouraged, went out of the room. Selene stopped strumming the guitar chords and looked out from the window. She wanted desperately to get out just to relieve her tension.

Suddenly, Selene was notified by Brainiac that someone unknown was approaching the concert stadium. Brainiac suggested to turn on the alarms but Selene was curious to see who the mysterious visitor was. The visitor must be experienced with the security systems to get through Bruce's well-planned scheme. It wasn't long till Selene heard a soft rapping on the closed window. She opened to see a boy clutching on the wall dangerously. Instinctively, Selene pulled him in. The boy fell into the room and panted heavily. Selene sat back on her chair and stared at him curiously.

The visitor was a 9-year-old boy with curly golden hair and dazzling green hair. The boy was on the floor, hands supporting his exhausted body. Selene crouched down to look at his face. The boy realized that Selene's face was only inches from his face and gasped, shrinking into the corner.

"Who are you?" Selene asked, gazing at the boy with unblinking eyes.

"Me? I am your No.1 fan! I wrote you hundreds of letters? Didn't you read them? I know you're busy…"

"I read them."

"Really? Wow! You're really Selene! My dad must be furious with me coming to see you."

Selene stopped his babbling by asking, "Why are you here?"

"I want to meet you in person! I want to know you! You know, maybe even be friends!" Selene didn't reply; she had never had friends near her age. Bruce and Clark often introduced children of her age to her, but she never felt attached to them, because to Isabel, they didn't belong to her world.

The boy saw her unusual reaction and asked worriedly, "Don't you want to be friends with me?"

Isabel~_ It's worth a try._ "Alright, I accept." The boy reached out his hand and looked at her expectantly. Selene merely stood there. Then, he grabbed her hand and shook it.

"I am Daniel."

"I am Selene." After shaking their hands, Selene's hand still laid in Daniel's, causing Daniel to retrieve his hand, blushing. Daniel shifted his eyes nervously away to her backstage room.

"Cool! Your guitar and piano are here!" Selene followed Daniel around the room, wondering what to do with a new 'friend'.

"What do we do now?" Selene asked Daniel.

"Well, we can talk. I'll tell you something about myself and you'll do the same. I live in Star City. I am not yet in high school. My dad is a company chairman and my mom is a housewife. Umm…how about you?"

Selene looked into those reflective green eyes and said, "I live in Gotham now. I don't go to school."

"So what do your parents do?"

"My dad has a normal job with medium pay and my mom isn't here anymore." Daniel heard this and stopped his nosy probing. He hadn't met anyone who had lost their loved ones at such an early age.

So he asked timidly, "I'm sorry." He wrapped his arms around her and stroked her long hair, imitating what his mother did when he was sad. Selene let her friend console her.

Daniel whispered in her ear, "I am going to give you everything I have to make you happy."

Selene asked, confused, "You just met me." "It doesn't matter. I like you!" Daniel confessed innocently.

All of a sudden, Daniel gasped and rummaged in his pocket for something. He pulled out a pair of necklaces.

He smiled deviously. "I stole this from Dad. Hee hee! This will be our friendship necklaces. We will each wear one forever." Selene looked at the pendants: a **green bow**. They both put them on and were startled by the knock on the door. "Selene, it's time!"

Daniel rushed to the window and said before climbing down, "Good luck with your concerts! My dad, mom and I bought front-stage tickets to see all 5 concerts. See you tonight then!" She looked at the boy disappearing down the window and tucked the necklace behind her dress with her mother's wedding ring.


	27. Concert

Hey _**readers**_

THIS IS THE LAST CHAPTER!! GOING TO START A SEQUEL ABOUT 16-year-old ISABEL

involving _**ROMANCE**_ and _**ADVENTURE**_. please _**REVIEW**_ and give me some ideas.

I do not own any of the characters except Isabel.

Concert

Selene danced and sang on the stage tirelessly, causing the crowd to scream sonorously. Selene was still nervous during her first concert, not daring to look at the front crowd. So she spent the whole concert singing her heart out to the dark sky. After 3 hours, Selene was urged by the deafening "encores" from the crowd onto the stage for a third time. Fortunately, Miss Vickers announced the end of the concert through the mike and thanked the audience.

Selene slumped against the couch in the backstage while the make-up artists surrounded her. After a further 30 minutes, Selene was escorted by Miss Vickers back to the train station, leaving Selene to super-speed back to Wayne Mansion.

Isabel went upstairs and slept, not bothering to eat dinner and greet her dad and Bruce. Both adults sighed and took her dinner to her room, only to find her sound asleep in bed. They let the weary child rest for the night.

"Morning, dad, Uncle Bruce," Isabel said in her pajamas.

Clark asked her concernedly, "Isabel, are you too tired?"

"No, dad. Besides, Miss Vickers let me take a break during the day and come back for the concert."

Bruce glared at her and said, "You missed your dinner last night."

Isabel stuck out her tongue. "I ate that this morning. So I didn't really miss a meal."

As Isabel reached for the milk carton, Bruce caught sight of the additional green necklace hung on Isabel's neck.

"Who bought you a new necklace?" Bruce asked protectively.

Isabel hurriedly tucked it back in and replied, "My No.1 fan."

"You're talking about that nine-year-old dreamer who sent you hundreds of letters?!"

"Yes, we're friends now. He's not a dreamer. I think he's nice. He even said he liked me." Clark turned around, astounded about the news.

Bruce groaned in disbelief. "How naive are you? Just because some boy said he liked you, you let him become your friend. You don't know him. He may be some playb… I mean, bad person."

Isabel frowned and said, "I don't understand what the problem here is. You both always wanted me to have friends of my own age."

"Yes, but with a boy, it's different."

"How?" Despite having Brainiac in Isabel's mind, she had no idea about relationships. Bruce gave up explaining to Isabel and decided to take matters into his own hands. He needed to find out who this meddlesome kid was and eliminate him. Isabel caught death glare in Bruce's eyes and knew that Daniel must be protected.

Isabel waited for Daniel in the backstage room impatiently. Finally, a familiar tap sounded near the window. Isabel opened the door and let him in.

Daniel said cheerfully, "You were awesome last night. So what's up?"

Isabel warned him seriously, "My uncle found out about you and I think he is coming after you."

Daniel laughed and said, "You're joking, right? Coming after me?!"

"I am not joking. My uncle is rather protective of me."

"You mean your uncle is after me for being frien…ooohh, I get it. Your uncle thinks I am some sleazy punk. Tell your Uncle that my surname is Queen."

Isabel's eyes widened. Isabel~_ Queen Enterprise?! Daniel's father is Oliver Queen. Oliver Queen is Green Arrow! _

After the second concert, Isabel couldn't stop thinking about Daniel. She sat in the dining room, staring absent-mindedly at the wall. Clark observed her daydreaming daughter and wondered whether she was in love.

"Isabel!" Bruce shouted. Isabel snapped out of her trance. "I found out about your little friend, Daniel. So you like Oliver Queen's son."

Clark literally spurted water out of his mouth. "What?! Oliver Queen is well known for toying with females."

"But Daniel is Green Arrow's son."

Bruce interrupted the conversation by saying, "Do you like him?"

"I don't know. I like being with him." Both adults stopped discouraging Isabel as they saw the twinkle in her eyes when she mentioned Daniel.

_Author's NOTE: This is the end of the story. The sequel will be about 16-year-old Isabel. What happened when Isabel leaved the League during the 8 years and became a solo heroine, Supergirl and Selene at the same time? She left the Wayne Mansion for 8 years, distancing herself from Bruce and Clark. After 8 years of solitude, Isabel went back to Wayne Mansion and met the new Batman, Terry Mcginnis._


End file.
